MASTER 
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AUTHOR: 


NEWMAN,  JOHN  HENRY 


TITLE: 


POSTSCRIPT  TO  A 

LETTER  ADDRESSED 

PLACE: 

NEW  YORK 

DA  TE : 

1875 


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936        Newnan,  John  Henry,  ^o^r^      1801-90 

G454  Postscript  to  a  letter  addressed  to  His  Grace 

the  Duke  of  Norfolk,  on  occasion  of  Mr  Gladstone's  recent 

expostulation,  and  in  answer  to  his     Vaticanism  ^together 

with  the  decrees  and  canons  of  the  Vatican  council 

N.  T.   1875  D       p  175-200  +  31  p 


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POSTSCRIPT 


TO 


^  Letter  addressed  to  His  Grace  the  Duke 

of  Norfolk, 


ON  OCCASION   OF 


RECENT    EXPOSTULATION, 


AND    IN   ANSWER   TO   HIS 


i  i 


VATICANISM." 


BY 


JOHN    HENRY    NEWMAN,  D.D., 


OF   THE   ORATORY. 


TOGETHER   WITH   THE 


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ANONS    OF    THE      VATICA 


Vatican   Cou 


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THK  CATHOLIC  PUBLICATION  SOCIETY 

9  Warren  Street. 

1875. 


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Tfii"  Vntic»sin    Decrees    and    €ivil^lle;;iaiiee.  By 

Archbisliop  Maniiing,        .  $0  50 

liit  it.ni«  -  lli^liuny;  or,  The  Catholic  Churcli  the  Way 
of  Salvation,  proved  from  the  Scriptures.  By  Rev.  A.  F. 
Hevvit      1  vol.  16mo, 1  50 

A  Liettei  lotlieDiike  of^Orfolk  on  tlie  Oeea»iH»n 

of  Mr.  Gladstone's  Recent  Expostulation.  By  John  IIenr\' 
Newman,  D.D.     Paper, 50 

lliiKii  lii*%  Complete  Cateelii«>»Hi.     Translated  by  Fan- 

der, 75 

The  Veil  Withdrawn.     By  Mrs.  Craven.     1  vol.  8vo,        .     I  50 

JIi.    <MladNt€>ne%    E\p<9Ntnlalioii     I  iiravelled.      By 

Bishop  Ullathorne.     Paper  cover, 25 

Ri;;^ht  Rev.  Oi!>ili<»|»  Van;;lian%  Reply  to  ^r.  €il lad- 
stone.     Paper  cover, 25 

The  Trne  and  the  FaKe  Inrallilniity  oftlie  Pope<>>. 

A  Controversial  Reply  to  Dr.  Schulte.  By  Dr.  Joseph  Fess- 
ler,  late  Bishop  of  St.  Polten,  and  Secretary-General  of  the 
Vatican  Council.  Translated  by  Ambrose  St.  John.  12mo, 
paper, 50 

Tlie  Syllabus  t\^r  the  People.  A  Review  of  the  Propo- 
sitions Condemned  by  His  Holiness  Pope  Pius  IX.  With 
Text  of  the  Condemned  List.  By  a  Monk  of  St.  Augustine's, 
Ramsgate.     12mo,  paper, 25 

Any  of  the  above  sent  by  mail  on  receipt  of  the  price. 


e  Catholic  Publication  Society, 


LAWRENCE  EEHOE,  Gen.  A^cnt, 


9  TV^arren  Street 


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3W  York. 


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POSTSCRIPT 


TO 


A  Letter  addressed  to   His  Grace  the  Duke  of 

Norfolk. 


\ 


The  Vatican    Decrees   and    Civ^'  mllegiance.  By 

Archbisliap  Manning,       .  $0  50 

The  King^N  Highiray ;  or,  The  Catholic  Church  the  Way 
of  Salvation,  proved  from  the  Scriptures.  By  Rev.  A.  F. 
Hewit     1  vol.  16mo, 1  50 

I  I  I  fin  III  the  Duke  <>t  \orfolk  on  the  Occasion 

of  Mr.  Gladstone's  Recent  Expostulation.  By  John  Henry 
Newman,  D.D.     Paper, 50 

IN  ii;iriiir!i  Complete  Catechism*     Translated  by  Fan- 

der, .        .        ....        75 

The  Veil  WUhdrawn.     By  Mrs.  Craven.     1  vol.  8vo,        .     1  50 

Mr.    i.IhI  i«>  M'V    Expostulation     Unravelled.     By 

Bishop  Ullathome.     Paper  cover, 25 

Ris^ht  Rev.  Bishop  Vaughan's  Reply  to  Ulr.  Olad- 

stone.     Paper  cover, 25 

The  True  and  the  False  Infalllhility  of  the  Popes. 

A  Controversial  Reply  to  Dr.  Schulte.  By  Dr.  Jos(^ph  Fess- 
ler,  late  Bishop  of  St.  Polten,  and  Secretary-General  of  the 
Vatican  Council.  Translated  by  Ambrose  St.  John.  12mo, 
paper, 50 

The  Syllabus  for  the  People.    A  Review  of  the  Propo- 
sitions Condemned  by  His  Holiness  Pope  Pius  IX.     With 
Text  of  the  Condemned  List.    By  a  Monk  of  St.  Augustine's, 
'  Ramsgate.    12mo,  paper, 25 

Any  of  the  above  sent  by  mail  on  receipt  of  the  price. 


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In  one  of  t' 
ino&andanec 

hv  of  C^IAPXF. 


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POSTSCRIPT 


TO 


A  Letter  add7'essed  to   His  Grace  the  Duke  of 

Norfolk. 


The  Catholic  Publication  Society, 

UlWHdVOll  EEIfOC  Gen.  h^ewAj 

0   \\"urr^ii  Hircel^  ]S"i'W  "^^ork. 


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POSTSCRIPT. 


»»4 


February  26,  1875. — Mr.  Gladstone's  new  Pamphlet, 
which  has  just  appeared,  is  only  partially  directed 
against  the  foregoing  Letter,  and,  when  he  remarks  on 
what  I  have  written,  he  does  so  with  a  gentleness  which 
may  be  thought  to  be  unfair  to  his  argument,  ivlure- 
over,  lie  commences  with  some  pages  about  me  per- 
sonally of  so  special  a  character,  ti]<it,  did  I  dare  dwell 
upon  tluin  in  tlu-ir  ciircct  import,  they  would  of  course 
gratify  ine  exceedi]lc;l}^  But  1  c:iriiiot  do  so,  because  I 
believe  that,  with  that  seriousness  which  is  characteris- 
tic of  him,  he  has  wished  to  say  what  he  felt  to  be  true, 
not  wiiat  was  comphnientary  ;  and  because,  looking  on 
be}^ond  liis  words  to  Avhat  they  imph',  I  sec  in  them, 
though  he  did  not  mean  it  so  himself,  a  grave,  or  almost 
a  severe  question  addressed  to  me,  which  effectually 
keeps  me  from  taking  pleasure  in  them,  how^ever  great 
is  the  honour  they  do  me. 

It  is  indeed  a  stern  question  which  his  words  suggest, 
whether  now  that  I  have  come  to  the  end  of  my  days,  I 
liave  used  aright  whatever  talents  God  has  given  me,  and 
as  Me  would  have  had  me  use  them,  in  building  up  reli- 
gious truth,  and  not  in  pulling  down,  breaking  up,  and 

scattering  abroad.     All  I  can  say  in  answer  to  it  is,  that 

173 

344533 


V 


7    '^    1 

^  /  4 


fi'om  the  da\-  I  became  a  Catholic  to  this  day,  n  =  nv  close 
upon   thirtx-  \'cars,  1    have  never  liad  a  in.)ment's  mis- 
giving  that   the   coniniLinion  of  Rome   i>   tiiat    Ciiurch 
which   the  Apostles  set   up  at   Pentecost,  wh  ch   .ilone 
has  ''  the  adoption  of  sons,  and  tiie  glory,  and  tlie  cov- 
enants, and   the  revealed   Luv,  and  the  service  (.f  (h)d, 
and  the  promises,"  and  in  which  the  AngHcan  conmui- 
nion,  whatever  its  merits  and   chnnerits,  whatever  the 
great  exccUence  of  individuals   in   it,   has,   as  <^uch,  no 
part.      Nor  liave  T  ever  f)r  a   moment  hesitated   in   luy 
conviction  since  1845,  that  it  wa^^  my  clear  dut)-  to  join 
that  Catholic  Church,  as  1  did  then  jruu  it,  which  in  my 
own  conscience  I  felt  to  be  divine.      Persons  and  places, 
incidents  and  circumstances  of  life,  w  In'eh  belong  to  my 
first  forty-four  }'ears.  arv:  deeply  lodged   in  mv  memory 
and  in  my  affections  ;  moreover,  1  have  had  more  to  try 
and  aliliei  me  in  various  ways  as  a  Catholic  than  as  an 
Anglican  ;  l)ut  never  for  a  moment  have  I  wished  my- 
self back  ;  never  have  I  ceased  to  thank  my  Maker  for 
Ills  mcrc\'  in  enabling  me  to  make  the  great  change, 
and  never  lias  lie  let   me  feel  forsaken   by  Hen,  Mi'in 
distress,   or   an.}'   kiiul   of  religious   trouble.      I   do  not 
know  how  to  avoid   thus  meeting  Mr.  Gladstone's  lan- 
guage about  me:   but   I   can  set}-  no  more.      The  judg- 
ment must  be  left  to  a  da\-  to  come. 

In  the  remarks  that  fellow  I  shall  take  the  order  of 
my  sections. 

My  first  reason  for  writing  In  answer  to  Mr.  Glad- 
stone's Expostulation  was  his  charge  against  us,  '•  that 
Catholics,  if  they  act  consistently  with  their  prin.ciples, 


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Postscript, 


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canrint  be  hiyal  subjects,"  su/^?'.  p.  8.  And  he  withdraws 
this  in  his  new  Viinvphlct  {Vatican is ;ii,  p.  14),  thougli 
not  in  ver\-  gracious  lan.guage.  "  The  immediate  pur- 
pose of  my  appeal,"  he  says,  ''  has  been  attained,  in  so 
far  that  the  lovaltv  of  our  Roman  Catholic  fellow- 
subjects  in  the  mass  remains  evidently  untainted  and 
secure." 

My  second  reason  v/as  to  protest  against  ''his  attack 
upon  our  moral  uprightness,"  supr.  ibid.  Here  again 
he  seems  to  grant  that,  if  what  I  sav  can  be  received  as 
cnuin.e  Catholic  teaching,  I  have  succeeded  in  m}s  pur- 


er 


pose.  He  has  a  doubt,  however,  whether  it  does  not 
*'  sm.ick  of  Protestantism,  V at.  p.  69.  He  does  not  give 
any  distinct  reason  for  this  doubt  ;  and,  though  I  sliall 
motice  it  in  its  jih'ice,  i^ifr.  %.  5,  I  think  it  fair  to  main- 
tain as  a  plain  j)rinciple  of  controversy,  that  it  is  the 
accuser  who  has  to  prove  his  point,  and  that  he  must 
not  contLnit  himself  with  professing  that  the  accused 
l)arties  Xyaxc  not  su.cceeded  to  his  satisfaction  in  dis- 
proving it. 

La^tlv',  as  sT)ringinc{  out  of  these  two  charc^es  and 
illustratini:^  them,  was  his  ex  accelerated  notion  of  the 
force,  drift,  and  rcinQ"c  of  the  V^atican   definition  of  the 

Ci 

Pope's  infallibility.  Here  again  I  consider  he  leaves 
m\'  inter|)retatioa  of  it  without  reply,  though  appa- 
rontl}'  it  does  not  content  him.  Some  of  the  objec- 
tiv>ri<,  which  lie  throws  out  obiter  to  what  I  have  said, 
shall  now  i)e  noticed. 

Siipr.  page  18.  I  have  said,  apropos  of  the  pros- 
pect of  a  definition  of  tlie  Pope's  Infallibility  in  the 
tn7ie  of  Pitt  and  Peel,  **  If  [the  government]  wanted  to 


1/6 


Postscript. 


Postscript. 


177 


obtain  some  real  information  about  the  probabilities  of 
the  future,  why  did  they  not  go  to  headquarters?  why 
not  go  to  Rome  ?  ...  It  is  impossible  that  thc> 
could  have  entered  into  formal  negociations  with  the 
Pope,  without  its  becoming  perfectly  clear  that  Rome 
could  never  be  a  party  to  such  a  pledge  as  England 
wanted,  and' that  no  pledge  from  Catholics  was  of 
value  to  wliich  Rr>:Vie  was  not  a  party."  To  my  as- 
tonishment Mr.  Gladstone  seems  to  consider  this  a  fatal 
admission.  He  cries  out,  ^'Statesmen  of  the  future, 
recollect  the  words  !  .  .  .  The  lesson  received  is  this  : 
althouc^h  pledL;es  were  c^iveii,  altliuu^h  their  valulil}' 
was  formally  and  even  passionate!}-  asserted,  .ilthough 
the  subject-matter  \va^  one  of  civil  allegiance,  '  no  [)ledge 
from  Catholics  was   of  an}'  value,  to  w  hieii   Rome   was 

not  a  party.'  "  p.  39. 

I  den\'  that  tlie  c^uestion  of  infallibilit \-  was  one  of 
civil  allegiance,  hut  let  that  pass;  as  to  the  maiu  prin- 
ciple involved  in  what  1  ha\-e  said,  it  certain!)-  (h)es 
perplex  and  confuse  me  that  a  statesman  with  Mr. 
Gladstone's  experience  should  niaivC  liL;ht  ol  ercdc  n- 
tials,  and  should  not  recoo-nize  the  difference  between 
party  opinion  and  formal  decisions  and  pledges.  Wliat 
is  the  use  of  accredited  ministers  and  an  official  inter- 
course between  foreign  powers,  if  the  acts  of  mere 
classes  or  interests  will  do  instead  of  them  ?  At  a 
coneress,  I  believe  the  first  act  of  plenipotentiaries  is  to 
show^  to  each  other  their  credentials.  What  minister 
of  foreign  affairs  would  go  to  the  Ccsarowitch,  who 
happened  to  be  staying  among  us,  for  an  explanation 
of  an  expedition  of  Russia  in  upper  Asia,  instead  ot 
having  recourse  to  the  Russian  ambassador? 


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The  common  saying,  that  **  Whigs  are  Tories  out  of 
place  *'  illustrates  again  what  is  in  itself  so  axiomatic. 
Successive  ministries  of  opposite  views  show  in  history, 
for  the  most  part,  as  one  consistent  national  govern- 
ment, and,  when  a  foreign  power  mistakes  the  objec- 
tions which  public  men  in  opposition  made  to  the 
details,  circumstances,  or  seasonableness  of  certain 
ministerial  measures,  for  deliberate  judgments  in  its 
favour,  it  is  likely,  as  in  the  case  of  the  great  Napo- 
leon, to  incur  eventually,  when  the  opposition  comes 
into  office,  great  disappointment,  and  has  no  one  to 
blame  but  itself.  So  again,  the  Czar  Nicholas  seems 
to  have  mistaken  the  de})utation  of  the  peace  party  be- 
fore the  Crimean  war  for  the  voice  of  the  English 
nation.  It  is  not  a  business-like  way  of  acting  to  as- 
sume the  assurances  of  partizans,  however  sincerely 
in:ule,  for  onditiuns  of  a  contract.  There  is  nothing 
indeed  to  show  th:it  tlie  Ilolx'  See  in  1793  or  1829  had 
an\'  notion  thiat  the  inhdlibility  of  the  Pope,  if  ever 
made  a  dogma,  would  be  so  made  within  such  limits  of 
time  as  coudd  affect  the  bond  fide  character  of  the  pros- 
pects which  English  and  Irish  Catholics  opened  upon 
!\Ir.  Pitt  or  ?^Ir.  Peel.  The  events  in  Europe  of  the 
forecroimj  half  centurv  £rave  no  encouragement  to  the 
Papal  cause.  Nor  did  Catholics  alone  avow  anticipa- 
tions which  helped  to  encourage  the  latter  statesman  in 
the  course,  into  which  the  political  condition  of  Ireland, 
not  any  kindness  to  the  Irish  religion,  primarily  turned 
him.  There  were  Anglican  ecclesiastics,  wdiom  he  de- 
servedlv  trusted,  wdio  gave  it  to  him  as  their  settled 
opinion,  as  regards  the  Protestantism  of  England,  that, 
if  the  emancipation  of  Catholics  could  but  be  passed  in 


I7S 


Postscript 


the  night,  there  would  be  no  excitement  about  it  next 
morning.  Did  such  an  influential  judgment,  thus 
offered  to  Mr.  Peel,  involve  a  breach  of  a  pledge,  be- 
cause it  was  not  fulfilled  ? 

It  was  notorious  all  over  the  world  that  the  North  of 
Critliolic  Christendom  took  a  different  view  of  Papal  in- 
failibilit}-  from  Vac  South.  A  long  controversy  had 
gone  on  ;  able  writer^  were  to  be  found  on  cither  side  ; 
each  side  was  positive  in  the  truth  of  its  own  Cduse  ; 
each  hoped  to  prevail.  Tlie  Gallican  party,  t(>w:irds 
which  England  and  Ireland  inelineJ,  ihoii-hl  tlic  other 
simply  extravagant  :  but  witli  th.c  Ultramontane  stood 
Rome  itself.  IMinisters  do  not  comnKjnlv  believe  a.!! 
the  representations  of  deputations  who  come  to  them 
with  the  advocacv  of  particular  measures,  thoueh  thio^e 
deputations  may  be  perfectly  sincere  in  wliat  they  aver. 
The  Catholics  of  Ene,"han(l  and  Irehmd  in  iSeG  Vvcrc  al- 
most as  one  man  in  thinkim.^  IIl  iitiv  of  the  (iue>tinn,  but 
even  then  there  were  those  \\\\o  spoke  out  in  a  (lirieri-nt 
sense,  and  warned  the  government  tlnit  there  wasaeon- 
trary  opinion,  and  one  strong  both  in  its  preten>ions  and 
in  its  prospects.  I  am  not  bound  to  go  into  this  subject 
at   length,    for   I    have   allowed    the   dominant    feeling 

* 

among  our  Catholics  at  that  day  was  against  the  pru- 
dence or  likelihood  of  a  definition  of  Paoal  infallibilitv  ; 
but  I  will  instance  one  or  two  v/riters  of  name  who  had 
spoken  mi  a  different  sense. 

I  cannot  find  that  Mr.  Gladstone  deals  with  my  re- 
ference to  Archbishop  Tro\',  whose  pastoral  bears  the 
date  (1793)  of  the  very  year  in  which,  as  Vix.  Gladstone 
tells  us,  Vat.  p.  48,  a  Relief  Act  was  granted  to  Ireland. 
The  Archbishop,  as  the  passage  has  been  found  for  me, 


Postscript, 


179 


i,  T 


(  T  \ 


I 


says,  **  Majiy  Catholics  contend  that  the  Pope     . 
is  infallible     .     .     .     others  deny  this.     .     .     .      Until 
the  Church  shall  decide     .     .     .     either  opinion  maybe 
adopted."     Supr.,  page  16.     This  is  a  very  significant, 
as  well  as  authoritative  passage. 

Again: — Father  i\Iumford\s  CatJiolic  Scriptiirist  is  a 
popular  Address  to  Protestants,  in  the  vernacular, 
which  has  gone  through  various  editions  in  the  17th, 
iSth,  and  iQth  centuries.  T!ic  edition  from  which  I 
quote  is  that  of  1S63.  He  says,  p.  39,  "  Whether  the 
definition  of  a  council  alone,  defininor  without  their 
chief  pastor,  or  the  definition  of  the  chief  pastor 
alone,  defining  without  a  council,  be  infallible,  or  no, 
there  be  several  opinions  amongst  us,  in  which  w^e  do 
and  may  vary  without  any  prejudice  to  our  faith,  which 
is  not  built  upon  what  is  yet  under  opinion,  but  upon 
that  which  is  delivered  as  infallible." 

A^j^ain,  Pishon  Ilav  is  one  of  the  most  consoicuous 
Prelates  and  authoritative  writers  amoncfst  us  of  the 
iSth  century.  In  his  *'  Sincere  Cliristian,''  published 
between  1770  and  17S0,  he  treats  of  the  infallibility  of 
the  Pope  at  considerable  length,  and  in  its  favour.  He 
sa\'s,  p.  188  6v/.  1871)  that  that  doctrine '' is  not  pro- 
posed to  us  as  an  article  of  divine  faith,  nor  has  the 
Church  ever  made  any  decision  concerning  it.  Great 
numbers  of  the  niost  learned  divines  are  of  opinion 
that  in  such  a  case,  the  Head  of  the  Church  is  infallible 
in  what  he  teaches,  but  there  are  others  who  are  of  a 
contrary  opinion."  He  proceeds,  ''  On  what  grounds 
do  those  divines  found  their  opinion,  wdio  believe  that 
the  Pope  himself,  when  he  speaks  to  the  faithful  as 
head  of  the  church,  is  infallible  in  what  he  teaches?" 


j8o 


Postscript. 


.J 


\ 


and  he   answers,  **  On  very  strong  reasons  both  from 

Scripture,    tradition,    and    reason."      These    he     goes 

through  seriatim;  then  he  adds,  p.  194,  '*  What  proof 

do  the  others  bring  for  their  opinion,  that  the  Head  of 

the  Cliiirch  is  not  infalhble?     They  bring  not  a  single 

text  of  Scripture,  nor  almost  one  argument  from  tradi- 

tion  to  prove  it.'* 

I  mioht  add  that  the  chief  instrument  in  rousing  and 

ralh'inij     tlie     Protestant    sen.tiinent     a-;:iinst     Catholic 

emancipation  was  from  first   to  last  the  episcopate  and 

cler'^-v  of  the  Churcli  Establi-iied  ;    now,  if  there  was  anv 
•^  ^  - 

body  of  men  who  wore  ])criectl\'  aware  ot  liie  division 
of  sentiment  among  Catholics  as  to  the  se;it  of  iniaili- 
bihtv,  it  was  thev.  Their  standard  divines,  writini^  in 
the  vernacular,  dischar<_:e  it,  as  one  of  their  nv^st  effec- 
tivc  taunts,  against  their  opponents,  that,  whilst  the 
latter  held  the  doctrine  of  infallihilit}',  they  differ 
among  themselves  whether  it  is  lodges!  in  an  Ecumeni- 
cal Council  or  in  the  Roman  See.  It  can  never  be 
said  then  that  this  opinion,  which  has  now  become  a 
dogma,  was  not  perfectly  well  known  to  be  living  and 
energetic  in  the  Catholic  communion,  though  it  was 
not  an  article  of  faith,  and  was  not  spoken  of  as  such 
by  Catholics  in  this  part  of  the  world  during  the  cen- 
turies of  persecution. 

Mr.  Gladstone,  as  his  mildest  conclusion  against  us, 
is  inclined  to  grant  that  it  was  not  an  act  of  duplicity 
in  us,  that  in  1826  our  Prelates  spoke  against  the 
Pope's  infallibility,  though  in  1870  they  took  part  in 
defining  it ;  but  then  he  maintains  it  to  be  at  least  a 
proof  that  the  Church  has  chang^ed  its  doctrine,  and 
thereby  forfeited    its   claim    to  be   "  semper  eadem." 


Postscript. 


181 


f 


'♦ 


^^ 


But  it  is  no  change  surely  to  decide  between  two  pre- 
valent opinions  ;  but,  if  it  is  to  be  so  regarded,  then 
change  has  been  the  characteristic  of  the  church  from 
the  earliest  times,  as,  for  instance,  in  the  tliird  century, 
on  the  point  of  the  validity  of  baptism  by  heretics. 
And  hence  sucli  change  as  lias  talceii  place,  (w^hich  I 
should  prefer  to  call  doctrinal  development,)  is  in  itself 
a  positive  argument  in  favour  of  the  Cluirch's  identity 
from  first  to  last  ;  for  a  growth  in  its  creed  is  a  law  of 
its  life.  I  have  already  insisted  upon  this,  supra,  p. 
139;  also  in  former  volumes,  as  in  my  Apologia^  and 
DifftcullitS  of  Aui:;iicaus. 


^ 


Supr,  p.  33.  As  i\Ir.  Gladstone  denied  that  the 
Papal  prerogatives  were  consistent  with  ancient  his- 
tor\%  I  said  in  answer  that  that  history  on  the  contrary 
was  the  clearest  witness  in  their  favour,  as  showdng 
how  the  promises  made  to  St.  Peter  w^ere  providential- 
h'  fulfilled  by  political,  &c.,  changes  external  to  the 
Pope,  wdiich  worked  for  him.  I  did  not  mean  to  deny 
that  those  preiogativcs  w^ere  his  from  the  beginning, 
but  merely  that  they  wxre  gradually  brought  into  full 
exercise  by  a  course  of  events,  wdiich  history  records. 
'Phus  it  w^as  a  mistake  to  say  that  Catholics  could  not 
appeal  in  favour  of  the  Papal  power  to  history.  To 
make  my  meaning  quite  clear,  as  I  hoped,  I  distinctly 
said  I  was  not  speaking  theologically,  but  historically, 
nav,  lookincr  at  the  state  of  thincrs  with  *' non-Catholic 
eyes."  Plowever,  as  the  following  passage  from  the 
Etudes  Religietises  s\\t\ws^  it  seems  that  I  have  been  mis- 


PostscripL 


k 


understood,  thoucdi  the  writer  himself,  I'cre  Raniicre, 
does  me  the  justice  and  the  favour  to  defend  me,  ami  I 
here  adopt  hds  words  as  ni\'  defence.      He  sa\-s  : 

'*  Pour  exprimer  cette  concentration  providentielle, 
dans  les  mains  du  Tape,  du  pouvoir  ecclesiasti(iue 
partage  autrefois  dans  une  plus  large  mesure  par  rei)is- 
cooat,  le  P.  Newman  se  sort  dhm  terme  Icgcd  qudl  nc  laut 
pas  prendre  a  la  lettre.  II  dit  que  le  Pape  est  Iicrciicr 
par  defaiit  de  lalderarchie  ecumenique  di  iv"^  siecle.  Le 
savant  directeur  de  la  Voce  dclla  Vcrith  blame  cette 
expression,  qui  impliquerait,  selon  lui,  qui  le  Pape  tient 
son  pouvoir  de  la  hierarchie.  r^Iais  le  P.  Newman  exclut 
cette  interpretation,  puis  qu'il  fait  derivait  le  plenitude 
du  pouvoir  pontifical  de  la  promesse  faite  par  Jcsus- 
Christ  a  Saint  Pierre,"  p.  256,  7,  note. 

§  4. 

Supr,  p.  6^.  I  here  say  that  ''  v/ere  I  actually  a  sol- 
dier or  sailor  in  her  ?vlajesty's  service  in  a  just  war,  and 
should  the  Pope  suddenly  bid  all  Catholic  soldiers  and 
sailors  to  retire  from  her  service,  taking  the  advice,  S:c., 
.  .  I  should  not  obey  him."  Here  I  avail  myself  of  a 
passage  in  Canon  Neville's  recent  pamphlet  (''A  few 
Comments,"  &c.,  Pic/jcriji^)  in  which  he  speaks  with  the 
authority  belonging  to  a  late  theologiccd  Professor  of 
?>Iaynooth  : 

"  In  the  impossible  hypothesis  of  the  Pope  being  en- 
eacred  in  a  war  with  Enq-land,  how  would  the  allegiance 
of  Eno-lish  Catholics  be  affected  ?  .  .  how  would  it  be, 
if  they  were  soldiers  or  sailors  ?  .  .  .  .  Some  one  will 
urge,  the  Pope  may  issue  a  mandate  enforced   by  an 


i,i> 


A, 


.1 


i  ^ 


Postscript. 


185 


annexed  excommunication,  forbidding  all  Catholics  to 
engage    in    the  war  against    him   .   .   .     The    supposed 
actiun  of  the  Pope  does  not  change  the  question  mate- 
riallv.     His    mandate    will    derive    its    force    from    his 
authoritative  declaration  of  the  immorality  of  the  v/ar, 
and  the   censures    annexed,"    /.    e,   excommunication, 
''  will   have   to   be    subjected  to  the  ordinary  rules  and 
principles  of  ecclesiastical  punishments.      For  instance, 
the    soldiers  and    sailors  would    not  incur   it,  because 
'grave fears'  excuse  from  censure  [excommunication], 
censures  beinr^-  directed  against  the  contumacious,  not 
aeainst  those  who  act  through  fear  or  coercion  ...  It 
is  a  trite  principle,  that  mere  ecclesiastical  laws  do  not 
bind,  when  there  would    be  a  very  grave  inconvenience 
in  their  observance  ;  and  it  denies  as  a  rule  to  any  hu- 
man   legislator   {e.g.,   the    Pope)   the  power  of  making 
laws  or  precepts,  binding  men  to   the  performance  of 
actions,  which,  from  the  danger  and  difficulty  attendant 
on  their  fulfilment,  are  esteemed  heroic,"  pp.  lOi,  2. 

§5. 

Supr.  p.  79.  I  have  said,  "  The  Pope,  who  comes 
of  Revelation,  has  no  jurisdiction  over  Nature,"  i.e. 
tlie  natural  Law.  Mr.  Gladstone  on  the  other  hand 
savs,  "  Idle  it  is  to  tell  us,  finally,  that  the  Pope  is 
bound  by  the  moral  and  divine  law,  by  the  command- 
ments of  God,  by  the  rules  of  the  Gospel:  ...  for  of 
these,  one  and  all,  the  Pope  himself,  by  himself,  is  the 
judge  without  appeal,"  p.  102.  That  is,  Mr.  Glad- 
stone thinks  that  the  Pope  may  deny  and  anathematize 
the  proposition,  '*  There  is  one  God  :"  and  may  pro- 


I 


184 


Postscript. 


Postscript. 


185 


ceed  to  circulate  by  Cardinal  Antonelli  a  whole  Sylla- 
bus of  kindred  ''  erroneous  theses  "  for  the  instructions 
of  the  Bishops.  Catholics  think  this  impossible,  as  be- 
lieving  in  a  Divine  Providence  ever  exercised  over  the 
Church.  But  let  us  grant,  for  argument-sake,  that  a 
Pope  could  commit  so  insane  a  violation  of  the  Natu- 
ral and  the  Revealed  Law: — we  know  what  would  be 
the  consequence  to  such  a  Pope.  Cardinal  Turrecre- 
mata  teaches,  as  I  have  quoted  him,  that  **  were  the 
Pope  to  command  any  thing  against  Holy  Scripture, 
or  the  articles  of  faith,  or  the  truth  of  the  Sacraments, 
or  the  commands  of  the  natural  or  divine  law,  he  ought 
not  to  be  obeyed,  but  in  such  commands  to  be  ie- 
nored.*'  Snpr,  p.  68.  Other,  and  they  the  highest 
Ultramontane  theologians,  hold  that  a  Pope,  who 
teaches  heresy,  ipso  facto  ceases  to  be  Pope. 

Supr.  p.  86.  Here,  after  stating  that  there  are  cases 
in  which  the  Pope's  commands  are  to  be  resisted  by  in- 
dividual Catholics,  I  challenge  Mr.  Gladstone  to  bring 
passages  from  our  authoritative  writers  to  the  contrary: 
and  I  add,  *'  they  must  be  passages  declaring  not  only 
that  the  Pope  is  ever  to  be  obeyed,  but  that  the;e  are 
no  exceptions  to  this  rule,  for  exceptions  ever  must  be 
in  all  concrete  matters.''  Instead  of  doing  so,  Mr.  Glad- 
stone  contents  himself  with  enunciating  the  contradic- 
tory to  what  I  have  said.  ''  Dr.  Newman  says  there 
are  exceptions  to  this  precept  of  obedience.  But  this 
is  just  what  the  Council  has  not  said.  The  Church  by 
the  Council  imposes  Aye.  The  private  conscience  re- 
serves to  itself  the  title  to  say  No.  I  must  confess  that 
in  this  apolog>'  there  is  to  me  a  strong,  undeniable, 
sma:k  of  Protestantism.*'  p.  69, 


r% 


^ 


U 


Mr.  Gladstone  says  ''  there  is  to  me ;  yes,  certainly 
to  him  and  other  Protestants,  because  they  do  not  know 
our  doctrine.  I  have  given  in  my  Pamphlet,  three 
reasons  in  justification  of  what  I  said  ;  first  that  excep- 
tions must  be  from  the  nature  of  the  case,  **  for  in  att 
concrete  matters,'*  not  only  in  precepts  of  obedience, 
rules  are  but  general,  and  exceptions  must  occur. 
Then,  in  a  later  page,  p.  159,  I  give  actual  instances, 
which  have  occurred  in  the  history  of  Catholic  teaching, 
of  exceptions  after  large  principles  have  been  laid  down. 
But  my  main  reason  lies  in  the  absolute  statements  of 
theologians.  I  willingly  endure  to  have  about  me  a 
smack  of  Protestantism,  which  attaches  to  Cardinal 
Turrecremata  in  the  15th  century,  to  Cardinals  Jaco- 
batius  and  Bellarmine  in  the  i6th,  to  the  Carmelites  of 
Salamanca  in  the  17th,  and  to  all  theologians  prior  to 
them  ;  and  also  to  the  whole  Schola  after  them,  such 
as  to  P^athers  Corduba,  Natalis  Alexander  and  Busen- 
baum,  and  so  down  to  St.  Alfonso  Liguori  the  latest 
Doctor  of  the  Church  in  the  iSth,  and  to  Cardinal 
Gousset  and  to  Archbishop  Kenrick  in  the  19th, 

§  6. 

Supr.  pp.  99,  100.  Speaking  of  the  proposition  con- 
demned in  the  Encyclical  of  1864,  to  the  effect  that  it 
is  the  right  of  any  one  to  have  liberty  to  give  public 
utterance,  in  every  possible  shape,  by  every  possible 
channel,  without  any  let  or  hindrance  from  God  or 
man,  to  all  his  notions  whatever,  I  have  said  that  "  it 
seems  a  light  epithet  for  the  Pope  to  use,  when  he  calls 
such  a  doctrine  of  conscience  a  deliramtfituvi.''    Pres- 


iS6 


Posisci'ipt. 


Postscript. 


187 


ently  I  add,  ''  rcrlians  Mr.  Gladstone  wH!  say,  Wliy 
should  the  Pope  take  the  tr.uible  to  ci-uidenm  what  is 
so  wild  ?   but  lie  does,"  &c. 

On  this  Mr.  Gladstone  remarks,  Wii.  p.  21,  22,  "It 
appears  to  me  that  this  is,  to  use  a  miui  phrase,  merely 
trifling  with  the  subject.  We  are  asked  to  believe  tliat 
what  the  Pope  intended  to  condemn  was  a  state  of 
things  which  never  lias  existed  in  an\'  countr\'  in  the 
world.  Now  he  says  he  is  condemning-  one  of  the 
commonly  prevailing  errors  of  the  time,  familiarly 
known  to  the  Bishops  whom  he  addresses.  What 
bishop  knows  of  a  State  which  by  law  allows  a  perfect- 
ly free  course  to  blasphemy,  filthiness,  and  sedition  ^1  " 

I  do  not  find  any  thing  to  show  that    the    Pope    is 
speaking  of  States,  and    not  of  writers  ;  and,  thou^'-li  I 
do    not    pretend   to   know  against  what  writers    he    is 
speaking,  yet  there  are  writers  wdio    do    maintain    doc- 
trines which  carried   out  consistently  would  reach  that 
dclir anient ii))i\\\\\i:\\    the    Pope   speaks  of,  if  the}'  have 
not  rather  already  reached  it.      We  are  a  sober  |)eoi)le  ; 
but  are  not  the  doctrines  of  even  so  grave  and  i^atient 
a  thinker   as  the  late  Mr.  J.  S.  .Mill  very  much    in  that 
direction  ?    He  says,  ''  The  appropriate  region  of  human 
liberty  comprises  first  the  inward  domain  of  conscious- 
ness;    demanding    liberty  of  conscience    in    the    most 
comprehensive    sense,  liberty  of    thouviit   and    feeli[v% 
absolute  freedom  of  opinion   and  sentiment  on  all  sub- 
jects practical  or  speculative,  scientitlc,  moral,  or  theo- 
logical.     The  liberty  of  exprcssi}:-;  and  pno/is/iuii;  opin- 
ion may  sccni  to  fall  under  a  different  princii)le,  since  it 
belongs  to  that    part    of  the   conduct   of  an   individual 
which  concerns  other  people  ;  but,  being  almost   of  as 


i. 


s 


much  importance  as  the  liberty  of  thought  itself,  and 
resting  in  great  part  on  the  same  reasons,  ts  practically 
iiiscparablc  from  it,  &c.,  &c.  ...  No  society  in  wdiich 
these  liberties  are  not  on  the  whole  respected,  is  free, 
whatever  maybe  its  form  of  government,"  {On  Liberty, 
Litrod.)  Of  course  he  does  not  allow  of  a  freedom  to 
harm  others,  though  we  have  to  consider  well  what  he 
means  bv  harming  :  but  it  is  a  freedom  which  must 
meet  with  no  "  impediment  from  our  fellow  creatures, 
so  \o\vj  as  what  we  do  does  not  harm  them,  even 
though  they  should  think  our  conduct  foolish,  perverse, 
or  wrong."  ''The  only  freedom,"  he  continues, 
''  vvdiich  deserves  the  name  is  that  of  pursuing  our  own 
eood  in  our  own  wav,  so  long  as  we  do  not  attempt  to 
deprive  others  of  theirs,  or  impede  their  efforts  to 
obtain  it.  Each  is  the  proper  guardian  of  his  own 
health,  whether  bodily,  or  mental  and  spiritual." 

That  is,  no  in'nnoral  doctrines,  poems,  novels,  plays, 
conduct,  acts,  may  be  visited  by  the  reprobation  of 
public  opinion  ;  nothing  must  be  put  down,  I  do  not 
sav  bv  the  laws,  but  even  by  society,  by  the  press,  by 
reliizious  influence,  merely  on  the  ground  of  shocking 
the  sense  of  decency  and  the  modesty  of  a  Christian 
community.  Nay,  the  police  must  not  visit  Holyw^ell 
Street,  nor  a  license  be  necessary  for  dancing  rooms  : 
but  tlie  most  revolting  atrocities  of  heathen  times  and 
countries  must  for  conscience-sake  be  allow^ed  free  exer- 
cise in  our  great  cities.  Averted  looks  indeed  and 
silent  dis^nist,  or  again  rational  expostulation,  is  ad- 
missible  against  them,  but  nothing  of  a  more  energetic 

character. 

I  do  not  impute  this  to  Mr.  Mill.     He  had  too  much 


1 88 


Postscript. 


English  common  sense  to  carry  out  his  principles  to 
these  extreme  but  legitimate  conclusions  ;  he  strove  to 
find  means  of  limiting  them  by  the  introduction  of 
other  and  antagonistic  principles  ;  but  then  that  such 
a  man  held  the  theorj''  of  liberty  which  he  has  avowed, 
and  that  he  has  a  great  following,  is  a  suggestion  to  us 
that  the  Holy  See  may  have  had  abundant  reason  in 
the  present  state  of  the  continent  to  anathematize  a 
proposition  which  to  Mr.  Gladstone  seems  so  wild  and 
unheard  of. 

SupTGy  pp.  102.  I  have  said  that  the  Syllabus  is  to 
be  received  from  the  Pope  with  *'  profound  submission/* 
p.  102,  and  "  by  an  act  of  obedience,"  p.  io6 ;  I  add, "  but 
not  of  faith,*'  for  it  **  has  no  dogmatic  force."  I  main- 
tain this  still.  I  say,  in  spite  of  Professor  Schulte,  and  tlie 
English  Catholic  writer  to  whom  Mr.  Gladstone  refers, 
p.  32,1  have  as  much  right  to  maintain  that  the  implicit 
condemnation  with  which  it  visits  its  eighty  proposi- 
tions is  not  ex  cathcdrdyOX  an  act  of  the  Infallible 
Chair,  as  have  those  "  gravest  theologians,"  as  Bishop 
Fessler  speaks,  who  call  its  dogmatic  force  in  question^ 
FesslcTy  p.  107.  I  do  not  know  what  Fessler  himself  says 
of  it  more  than  that  it  is  to  be  received  with  submission 
and  obedience.  I  do  not  deny  another's  right  to  con- 
sider it  in  his  private  conscience  an  act  of  infallibility, 
or  to  say,  in  Mr.  Gladstone's  words,  p.  35,  that  **  utter- 
ances  ex  cathedrd  arc  oot  tbc  only  i(>Tn\  in  wbicJi  In^ 

llifkc^.^-rnitc.  Ani  when  tW  i^*f#  ty  •  MUf  H^ 
froore*  of  <r>r  iR  rit  cr  «^  wvftM  #f#  i»«f « Ai%4  #r  M#(hfp 


/ 


Postscript. 


1S9 


I 


1 


s 


both  allowable.  Mr.  Gladstone  speaks  as  if  what  the 
Pope  says  to  Fr.  Schradcr  undoes  what  he  says  to 
Bishop  Fessler ;  why  not  say  that  his  letter  to  Fessler 
neutralizes  his  letter  to  Schradcr?  I  repeat,  when  I 
speak  of  minimizing,  I  am  not  turning  the  profession 
of  it  into  a  dogma;  men>  if  they  will,  may  maximize 
for  me,  provided  they  too  keep  from  dogmatizing. 
This  is  my  position  all  through  these  discussions,  and 
must  be  kept  in  mind  by  any  fair  reasoner. 

I  grant  the  Pope  has  laid  a  great  stress  on  the  Syl- 
labus; he  is  said  in  1867  to  have  spoken  of  it  At  •» 
rcgula  docendi ; "  I  cannot  tell  whether  vivd  tccf.  <€ 
in  writing;  anyhow  this  did  not  interfere  witli  KMikr^t 
grave  theologians  in  1S71  considering  the  Pope  •!#!  ^«t 
in  it  teach  dogmatically  and  infallibly.  Morcovri.^c^ 
can  a  list  of  proscribed  propositions  be  a  •*  ruW**"  «x* 
cept  by  turning  to  the  Allocutions,  Sic,  in  whii'i  lUy 
are  condemned?  and  in  those  Allocutions,  v.>*.  ^  v# 
turn  to  them,  we  find  in  what  sense,  and  with  ^^toc 
degree  of  force  severally.  In  itself  the  Syllabu>  cifi  W 
no  more  than  what  the  Pope  calls  it,  a  syllabus  or  «!• 
lection  of  errors.  Led  by  the  references  inserted  it  H 
to  the  Allocutions,  etc,  I  have  ventured  to  cdl  H 
something  more,  viz.,  a  list  or  index  raisonn/ ;  m  i^ea 
not  attached  to  it  by  me  fir^t  of  all,  for  Fere  Daricl  b 
the  October  of  that  very  year,  1867,  tells  us,  ^  tkc 
"Etudes  Religicuses/'  **Au  Syllabus  luimcnvc  ll  tc 
iitut  pas  demandcr  que  le  degrd  do  clart6  que  Cdsrkrft 
A  lite  I"  ^' ^  tihV  dcf         <frr**  |»  $14* 

W^MMi^^^  C^ncMT*  It  u  Jt  \uM  <      '  tlai  z\c  oc tr 


190 


Postscript. 


telling  us  what  to  avoid ;  and  this  consideration  will 
explain  what  I  mean  by  receiving  it  with  "obedience/* 
w^hich  to  some  persons  is  a  difficult  idea,  when  con- 
trasted with  accepting  it  with  faith.  I  observe  then 
that  obedience  is  concerned  with  doings  but  faith  with 
affirming.  Now,  when  wc  arc  told  to  avoid  certain 
propositions,  wc  arc  told  primarily  and  directly  not  to 
do  something:  whereas,  in  order  to  affirm,  wx  must 
have  positive  statements  put  before  us.  For  instance, 
it  is  easy  to  understand,  and  in  our  teaching  to  avoid 
the  proposition,  "Wealth  is  the  first  of  goods;  **  but 
who  shall  attempt  to  ascertain  what  the  affirmative 
propositions  are,  one  or  more,  which  arc  necessarily 
involved  in  the  prohibition  of  such  a  proposition,  and 
which  must  be  clearly  set  down  before  we  can  make  an 
act  of  faith  of  them  ? 

However,  Mr.  Gladstone  argues^  that,  since  the 
Pope's  condemnation  of  the  propositions  of  the  Sylla- 
bus has,  as  I  have  allowed,  a  claim  on  the  obedience 
of  Catholics,  that  very  fact  tells  decisively  against  the 
unfavorable  view  the  Pope  takes  of  the  same ;  he  thinks 
I  have  here  made  a  fatal  admission.  It  is  enough^  he 
sayc,  that  the  Syllabus  "  unquestionably  demands 
obedience  ;  *'  that  is,  enough,  whether  the  propositions 
condemned  in  it  deserve  condemnation  or  not.  Here 
are  his  very  words:  "What  is  conclusive  .  .  is  this, 
that  the  obligation  to  obey  it  is  asserted  on  all  hands ; 
.  .  it  is  therefore  absolutely  superfluous  to  follow^  Dr. 

tfK^rrVig  mU  f^^4>       .  *  I  ^dUCf  Vy  nr^  jccmk  of  t¥c 


Postscript. 


191 


< 


V 


tions  may  be  as  false  as  heathenism,  but  they  Jiave 
this  redeeming  virtue,  that  the  Pope  denounces  them. 
His  judgment  of  them  may  be  as  true  as  Scripture, 
but  it  carries  this  unpardonable  sin  with  it,  that  it  is 
given  w^ith  a  purpose,  and  not  as  a  mere  literary 
flourish.  Therefore  I  will  not  inquire  into  the  propo- 
sitions at  all ;  but  my  original  conclusion  shall  be  dog- 
matic and  irreformablc.     Stat  pro  rationc  voluntas. 

Supra,  p.  1 13, 1  have  declined  to  discuss  the  difllcuJtics 
which  Mr.  Gladstone  raises  upon  our  teaching  rcsf^ctii; 
the  marriage  contract  (on  which  I  still  think  him  v^cr 
obscure  or  incorrect),  because  they  do  not  fall  vftftit 
the  scope  to  which  1  professed  to  confine  my  re«i-'w\. 
however,  his  fresh  statements,  as  they  arc  foun/*.  IW« 
p.  28,  lead  me  to  say  as  follows : 

The  non-Roman  marri.igcs  in  England,  he  sa}^  ''^O 
not  at  present  fall  under  the  foul  epithets  of  R'M^ 
But  why?  Not  because  we  marrv-  .  •  •  unJ^r  •h# 
.s.inctions  of  religion,  for  our  marrinKcs  are.  in  tkc  ,  - 
of  the  Pope,  purely  civil  marriages,  but  only  f «  t  .  - 
technical  .  •  .  reason  that  the  diiiciplmary  ^€a«» 
of  Trent  arc  not  canonically  in  force  in  thiis  ccttMry* 

etc," 

Here  Mr.  Gladstone  ^K'^'ins  to  Mnnldcr  that  there  irr 

only  twowu>*s  of  marrying  ntc«irding  to  Catholic 

ing;  he  omits  a  third,  in  which  wo  connidcr  the  ci<T<r 

of  the  sacrament  to  lie-     He  speaks  of  civil  miTtu«€W 

V UcH  fhwif  be  K<iM  10  •em  i Mfrteet  ^ jli  <»  nu  jcid 


102 


Postscript. 


Postscript. 


193 


in  the  presence  of  God,  marry  themselves;  and  such  a 
vow  of  each  to  other  is,  according  to  our  theology,  really 
the  constituting  act,  the  matter  and  form,  the  sacrament 
ol  marriage.  That  is,  he  om.its  the  very  contract  which 
we  specially  call  marriage.  This  being  the  case,  it  fol- 
lows  that  eveiy  clause  of  the  above  passage  is  incorrect. 

1.  Mr.  Gladstone  says  that  English  non-Roman  mar- 
riages are  held  valid  at  Rome,  not  because  they  are 
contracted  ''  under  the  sanctions  of  religion.''  On  the 
contrary,  this  is  the  very  reason  why  they  arc  held  valid 
there:  viz.,  only  because  parties  who  have  already  re- 
ceived the  Christian  rite  of  baptism,  proceed  to  give 
themselves  to  each  other  in  the  sight  of  God  sacramen- 
tally,  though  they  may  not  call  it  a  sacrament. 

2.  Mr.  Gladstone  says,  **  our  marriages  are  in  the  eye 
of  the  Pope  ptircly  civil  marriages.''  Just  the  reverse, 
speaking,  as  he  is,  of  Church  of  England  marriages. 
They  arc  considered,  in  the  case  of  baptized  persons, 
sacramental  marriages. 

3.  Mr.  Gladstone  says,  that  they  are  received  at  Rome 
as  valid,  ''oily  for  the  technical,  etc.,  reason  that  the 
disciplinary  decrees  of  Trent  are  not  canonically  in  force 
in  this  country.  There  is  nothing,  unless  it  be  motives 
of  mere  policy,  to  prevent  the  Pope  from  giving  them 
[those  decrees]  force  here,  when  he  pleases.  If,  and 
when  that  is  done,  every  niarriage  thereafter  concluded 
in  the  English  Church,  will,  according  to  his  own  words, 
be  'a  filthy  concubinage:  "  This  is  not  so  ;  I  quote  to 
the  point  two  sufficient  authorities,  St.  Alfonso  Liguori 
and  Archbishop  Kenrick. 

Speaking  of  the  clandestinity  of  marriage  (that  is, 
when  it  is  contracted  without  parish  priest  and  wit- 


i 


^ 


ncsses,)  as  an  impediment  to  its  validity,  St.  Alfonso 
says :  **  As  regards  non-Catholics  (infideles),  or  Catholics 
who  live  in  non-Catholic  districts,  or  where  the  Council 
of  Trent  has  not  been  received  .  .  such  a  marriage 
is  valid:'  Tom.  viii,  p.  6^,  ed.  1845.  Even  then, 
though  the  discipline  of  Trent  was  received  in  England, 
still  it  would  not  cease  to  be  a  Protestant  country,  and 
therefore  marriages  in  Protestant  churches  would  be 
valid. 

Archbishop  Kenrick  is  still  more  explicit.  He  says; 
"  Constat  Patres  Tridentinos  legem  ita  tulissc,  ut  ha:re- 
ticorum  cactus  jam  ab  Ecclesia  divulsos  non  rcspiccrct 
.  .  .  .  Hoc  igitur  clandestinitatis  impedimcntum 
ad  hacreticos  seorsim  convenientes  in  locis  ubi  grassan- 
tur  ha^reses,  non  est  extondcndum."    Theol.  Mor.  t.  3, 

P-35I- 

Such  being  the  Catholic  rule  as  to  recognition  of  Pro- 
testant marriages,  the  Pope  could  not,  as  Mr.  Gladstone 
thhiks,  any  day  invah'datc  English  Protestant  marriages 
by  introducing  into  England  the  discipline  of  Trent.  The 
only  case,  in  which  any  opportunity  might  occur  to  the 
Pope,  according  to  his  accusation,  of  playing  fast  and 
loose,  is  when  there  was  a  doubt  whether  the  number 
of  FrotcsUmts  in  a  Catholic  country  was  large  enough 
to  give  them  a  clear  footing  there,  or  when  the  Govern- 
ment refused  to  recognize  them.  Whether  such  an 
opportunity  has  practically  occurred  and  has  ever  been 
acted  on,  I  have  not  the  knowledge  either  to  afiirui 
or  deny. 

%  8. 
SuJ>r.  p.  X27.     "But  if  the  fact  be  so  that  the  Fa- 


\ 


194 


Postscript. 


thers  were  not  unanimous,  is  the  definition  valid  ? 
This  depends  on  the  question  whether  unanimity,  at 
least  moral,  is  or  is  not  ncccssarj''  for  its  validity/*  Vid. 
also  p.  129. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  these  letters  of  mine 
were  not  intended  for  publication,  and  are  introduced 
into  my  text  as  documents  of  1870,  with  a  view  of  re- 
futing the  false  reports  of  my  bearing  at  that  time 
towards  the  Vatican  Council  and  Definition,  To  alter 
their  wording  would  have  been  to  destroy  their  argu- 
mentative value,  I  said  nothing  to  imply  that  on  re- 
flection 1  agreed  to  K^SQVf  proposition  which  I  set  down 
on  vay  pri via  facie  view  of  the  matter. 

One  passage  of  it,  perhaps  from  my  own  fault,  Mr. 
Gladstone  has  misunderstood.  He  quotes  me,  Vat,  p. 
13,  as  holding  that  **  a  definition  which  the  Pope  ap- 
proves, is  not  absolutely  binding  thereby,  but  requires 
a  moral  unanimity,  and  a  i^ibsequcnt  reception  by 
the  Church."  Nay,  I  cons^idcrcd  that  the  Pope  could 
define  without  either  iiiaiunty  or  minority  ;  but  that, 
if  he  chose  to  go  by  the  method  of  a  Council,  in 
that  case  a  moral  unanimity  was  required  of  its  Fa- 
thers. I  say  a  few  lines  lower  down,  waivinij  the 
difllculty  altogether,  **  Our  merciful  Lord  would 
not  care  so  little  for  His  people  .  .  .  as  to  allow  their 
visible  head  and  such  a  large  number  of  Bishops  to 
lead  them  into  error.**  P6re  Ramit^re.  in  his  very  kind 
review  of  me   in  the  Etudes  Rtti^uusiS  lor  Fcbruar>% 


ti<  \Ai%n: 


I. 


Postscript. 


^95 


doctrine  without  them.  A  council  of  Bishops  of  the 
world  around  him,  is  only  one  of  the  various  modes  in 
which  he  exercises  his  infallibility.  The  seat  of  inf 
libility  is  in  ^i^,  and  they  are  adjuncts.  The  Pastor 
yEternus  s^iys,  *'  Romani  Pontificcs,  prout  tempo- 
rum  et  rerum  conditio  suadebat,  nunc  convocatis  oecu- 
menicis  conciliis,  aut  rogata  Ecclcsia:  per  orbem  dis- 
pers3e  sententi^,  nunc  per  synodos  particulares,  nunc 
aliis,  quae  Divina  suppeditabat  Providentia,  adhibitis 
auxlliUi  i»a  («*MfMihi  di*riniviM'MiU|  qua^  lacrii  Sci^ipti^^o 
et  Ap»M.  I  .  buo  •  iiir«i,  Deo  ipJ/«« 

tort-  -t^KnovcraiU." 

Church  \\j  ctkieiin^  into  the  nccc^iuty  cotidiikun       \    \ 
^/(ry/Vr  dccinion.     1  Kald  that  by  the  •' Sccuriui  ju» 
orbin  tcrrarum  '*  alt  actN  of  the  rulcrn  of  the  Church  «^^ 
"  ratified/' r       K.     In  thU  paMHujjo  of  myprlvai 
tcr  I  monnt  ii>      i.«ilftcd  '*  broupfht  home  to  u^  ai  jl- 
thcnt_     A:  thUviuy  /tJithlB^* 

obvlouH,  and  ptnrv^icoahlr  .^1  ^\u  duCCCpcUf 

tho  Vatiran  di  <n  of  ^^»  IMft'c  I  /• 


Su/>f\  p.  Tu.     T  uAi\  In  €W  f .  1.  ^  tjt, 

th^  dl^rinifiiiii  III  Kpln'Mi'k  vrr^tnl    •  ^$w^m^^f  *•  | 

VOfr»n    Afl.Ui^Hl     Til:     MH    \\\s   •^>4    f 

infi'M'lur     III     inv     MWII,    I       •<•    ■  ^f^-^K      it.               '• 

fi                           >'M«lf     III      lhl»      fiM  'JUit^. 

'L   •     "     -'.jyrt: :    —    i  1  li    -# 
|{Tf«f  >                             i!r.  •fl^  nrre  t  ff^  t.lw^*  ?•• 


I 


196 


Postscript. 


Postscript. 


197 


account  of  68  of  the  Bishops  already  there.  The  num- 
bers present  at  the  opening  are  given  in  the  Acts  as 
about  150.  The  first  Session  in  which  Nestorius  was 
condemned  and  a  definition  or  exposition  of  faith  made, 
was  concluded  before  night.  That  exposition,  as  far  as 
the  Acts  record,  was  contained  in  one  of  the  letters  of 
St.  Cyril  to  Nestorius,  which  the  Bishops  in  the  Coun- 
cil one  by  one  accepted  as  conformable  to  Apostolic 
teaching.  Whether  a  further  letter  of  St.  Cyril's  with 
his  12  anathematisms,  which  was  also  received  by  the 
Bishops,  was  actually  accepted  by  them  as  their 
dogmatic  utterance,  is  uncertain  ;  though  the  Bishops 
distinctly  tell  the  Pope  and  the  Emperor  that  they 
have  accepted  it  as  well  as  the  others,  as  being  in 
accordance  with  the  Catholic  Creed.  At  the  end 
of  the  Acts  of  the  first  Session  the  signatures  of 
about  200  Bishops  are  found,  and  writers  of  the 
day  confirm  this  number,  though  there  is  nothing  to 
show  that  the  additional  40  or  50  were  added  on  the 
day  on  which  the  definition  was  passed,  June  22,  and 
it  is  more  probable  that  they  were  added  afterwards ; 
vid.  Tillemont,  Cyril,  note  34,  and  Fleury,  Hist.  xxv. 
42.  And  thus  Tillemont,  ibid,,  thinks  that  the  signa- 
tures in  favour  of  Cyril  altogether  amounted  to  220. 
The  Legates  of  the  Pope  were  not  present ;  but  they 
had  arrived  by  July  10.  The  Syrian  Bishops  arrived  on 
June  26th  or  27th.  As  to  Africa,  then  overrun  by  the 
Vandals,  it  was  represented  only  by  the  deacon  of  the 
Bishop  of  Carthage,  who  sent  him  to  make  his  apolo- 
gies for  Africa,  to  warn  the  Council  against  the  Pela- 
gians, and  to  testify  the  adherence  of  the  African 
Churches     to     Apostolic     doctrine.       The    countries 


V 


which  were  represented  at  the  Council,  and  took 
part  in  the  definition  were  Egypt,  Asia  Minor, 
and  Thrace,  Greece,  &c.  The  Avhole  number 
of  Bishops  in  Christendom  at  the  time  was 
about  1,800;  not  6,000,  as  St.  Dalmatius  says  at  ran- 
dom. Gibbon  says,  ''  The  Catholic  Church  was  admin- 
istered by  the  spiritual  and  legal  jurisdiction  of  1,800 
bishops,  of  whom  r,ooo  were  seated  in  the  Greek,  and 
800  in  the  Latin  provinces  of  the  empire."  He  adds, 
*'  The  numbers  are  not  ascertained  by  any  ancient 
writer  or  original  catalogue  ;  for  the  partial  lists  of  the 
eastern  churches  are  comparatively  modern.  The  pa- 
tient diligence  of  Charles  a  S.  Paolo,  of  Luke  Hol- 
stein,  and  of  Bingham,  has  laboriously  investigated  all 
the  episcopal  sees  of  the  Catholic  Church/* 

§9. 

Supra,  pp.  146,  etc.  It  has  been  objected  to  the  ex- 
planation I  have  given  from  Fessler  and  others  of  the 
nature  and  range  of  the  Pope's  infallibility  as  now  a 
dogma  of  the  Church,  that  it  was  a  lame  and  impotent 
conclusion  of  the  Council,  if  so  much  effort  was  em- 
ployed, as  is  involved  in  the  convocation  and  sitting  of 
an  Ecumenical  Council,  in  order  to  do  so  little.  True, 
if  it  were  called  to  do  what  it  did  and  no  more  ;  but 
that  such  was  its  aim  is  a  mere  assumption.  In  the  first 
place  it  can  hardly  be  doubted  that  there  were  those  in 
the  Council  who  were  desirous  of  a  stronger  definition  ; 
and  the  definition  actually  made,  as  being  moderate,  is 
so  far  the  victory  of  those  many  bishops  who  consid- 
ered any  definition  on  the  subject  inopportune.     And 


iqS 


Postscript 


it  was  no  slight  fruit  of  the  proceedings  in  the  Council, 
if  a  definition  was  to  be,  to  have  effected  a  moderate 
definition.  But  the  true  answer  to  the  objection  is  that 
which  is  given  by  Bishop  Ullathorne.  The  question 
of  the  Pope^s  infallibility  was  not  one  of  the  objects 
professed  in  convening  the  Council  ;  and  the  Council  is 
not  yet  ended. 

He  says  in  his  ^^  Expostulation  Unravelled,**  **  The 
expostulation  goes  on  to  suggest  that  the  council  was 
convened  mainly  with  a  view  of  defining  the  infalli- 
bility, and  that  the  definition  itself  was  brought  about, 
chiefly  for  political  objects,  through  the  action  of  the 
Pontiff  and  a  dominant  party.  A  falser  notion  could 
not  be  entertained.  I  have  the  official  catalogue  be- 
fore me  of  the  Schemata  prepared  by  the  theologians 
for  discussion  in  the  council.  In  them  the  infallibility 
is  not  even  mentioned  ;  for  the  greater  part  of  them 
regard  ecclesiastical  discipline.*'  P."  48,  he  adds,  **  Ca- 
lamitous events  suspended  the  Council.'* 

Supr,  p.  151,  note.  I  have  referred  to  Bishop 
Fessler's  statement  that  only  the  last  sentences  of 
Boniface's  Unain  Saiictain  are  infallible.  To  this  Mr. 
Gladstone  replies  p.  45,  that  the  word  *'  Porro/* 
introducing  the  final  words  to  which  the  anathema 
is  affixed,  extends  that  anathema  to  the  body  of 
the  Bull,  which  precedes  the  **  Porro.**  But  he 
does  not  seem  to  have  observed  that  there  are  two 
distinct  heresies  condemned  in  the  Bull,  and  that  the 
*'?orro"  is  the  connecting  link  between  these  two 
coiu!  rnnations,  that  is,  between  the  penultima  and 
final  sentences.     The  Pope   first  says   **  Nisi  duo,  sicut 


Postscript. 


199 


J!  % 


Manichaeus,  fingat  esse  principia,  quod  falsinn  et 
hcereticiim  judicamus  .  .  .  porro,  subesse  Romano 
Pontifici,  omni  humanae  creaturae  declaramus,  defini- 
mus,  et  pronunciamus  omnino  esse  de  necessitate 
salutis.**  That  the  Latin  is  deficient  in  classical  terse- 
ness and  perspicuity  we  may  freely  grant. 

Supra,  p.  152,  I  say,  ^^  We  call  *  infallibility  '  in  the 
case  of  the  apostles,  inspiration  ;  in  the  case  of  the 
church,  assistentiay 

On  this  Mr.  Gladstone  says,  ^'  On  such  a  statement 
I  have  two  remarks  to  make ;  first,  we  have  this  as- 
surance on  the  strength  only  of  his  own  private  judg- 
ment,''  p.  102.  liow  can  he  say  so  when,  p.  153,  I 
quote  Father  Perrone,  saying,  *'  Never  have  Catholics 
taught  that  the  gift  of  infallibility  is  given  by  God  to 
the  Church  after  the  manner  of  inspiration  !  ** 

Mr.  Gladstone  proceeds,  ''  Secondly,  that,  if  bidden 
by  the  self-assertion  of  the  Pope,  he  will  be  required 
by  his  principles  to  retract  it,  and  to  assert,  if  occasion 
should  arise,  the  contrary.**  I  can  only  say  to  so 
hypothetical  an  argument  what  is  laid  down  by  Fessler 
and  the  Swiss  bishops,  that  the  Pope  cannot,  by  virtue 
of  his  infallibility,  reverse  what  has  always  been  held  ; 
and  that  the  ''  inspiration  **  of  the  church,  in  the  sense 
in  which  the  Apostles  were  inspired,  is  contrary  to  our 
received  teaching.  If  Protestants  are  to  speculate 
about  our  future,  they  should  be  ijnpartial  enough  to 
recollect,  that  if,  on  the  one  hand,  we  believe  that  a 
Pope  can  add  to  our  articles  of  faith,  so,  on  tlie  otiicr, 
we  hold  also  that  a  heretical  Pope,  ipso  facto,  ceases  to 
be  Pope  by  reason  of  his  heresy. 


200 


Postscript, 


Mr.  Gladstone  thus  ends :    "  Thirdly,  that  he  lives 
under  a  system  of  development,  through  which  some- 
body's private  opinion  of  to-day  may  become  matter 
of  faith  for  all  the  to-morrows  of  the  future."     I  thmk 
he  should  give  some  proof  of  this ;    let  us  have  one 
instance  in  which  "  somebody's  private  opinion  "  has 
become  de  fide.     Instead  of  this  he  goes  on  to  assert 
fintcrrogatively)  that    Popes,  e.g.,    Clement    XI.    and 
Gregory  II.,  and  the  present  Pope,  have   claimed    the 
inspkation  of  the  Apostles,  and  that  Germans,  Italians, 
French,  have  ascribed  such  a  gift  to  him  ;— of  course 
he  means  theologians,  not  mere  courtiers  or  sycophants, 
for  the  Pope  cannot  help  having  such,  till  human  na- 
ture is  changed.     If  Mr.  Gladstone  is  merely  harangu- 
ing as  an  Orator,  I  do  not  for  an  instant  quarrel  with 
him  or  attempt  to  encounter  him  ;  but,  if  he  is  a  con- 
troversialist, we  have  a  right  to  look  for  arguments,  not 
mere  assertions. 


\ 


DECREES  AND  CANONS 


> 


OF  THE 


VATICAN    COUNCIL 


laye< 


( 


\ 


2CMD 


Postscript. 


Mr.  Gladstone  thus  ends:  *' Thirdly,  that  he  lives 
under  a  system  of  development,  through  which  some- 
body's private  opinion  of  to-day  may  become  matter 
of  faith  for  all  the  to-morrows  of  the  future."  I  think 
he  should  give  some  proof  of  this ;  let  us  have  one 
instance  in  which  "  somebody's  private  opinion  "  has 
become  d€  fide.  Instead  of  this  he  goes  on  to  assert 
(interrogatively)  that  Popes,  e.g.,  Clement  XL  and 
Gregory  II.,  and  the  present  Pope,  have  claimed  the 
inspiration  of  the  Apostles,  and  that  Germans,  Italians, 
French,  have  ascribed  such  a  gift  to  him  ;— of  course 
he  means  theologians,  not  mere  courtiers  or  sycophants, 
for  the  Pope  cannot  help  having  such,  till  human  na- 
ture is  changed.  If  Mr.  Gladstone  is  merely  harangu- 
ing as  an  Orator,  I  do  not  for  an  instant  quarrel  with 
him  or  attempt  to  encounter  him  ;  but,  if  he  is  a  con- 
troversialist,  we  have  a  right  to  look  for  arguments,  not 
mere  assertions. 


DECREES  AND  CANONS 


OK  THR 


U' 


VATICAN    COUNCIL. 


\ 


/ 


J^^  i 


DOGMATIC   CONSTITUTION 


ON  THE  CATHOLIC  FAITH. 
Pius,  Bishop,  Servant  of  the  Servants  of  God, 

WITH  the  approval  OF  THE  SaCRED  COUNCIL, 

FOR  Perpetual  Remembrance. 


w 


) 


/ 


Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the   Son  of  God,  and 

Redeemer  of  Mankind,  before  returning  to  his  heavenly 
P^ather,  promised  that  He  would  be  with  the  Chiircli 
Militant  on  earth  all  days,  even  to  the  consummation 
of  the  world.  Therefore,  He  hp.s  never  ceased  to  be 
present  with  His  beloved  Spouse,  to  assist  her  when 
teacliing,  to  bless  lier  wlicn  ;it  work,  and  to  aid  her 
when  in  ddiv^er.  And  this  His  salutary  providence, 
wliieh  h.i^  Ix-en  constantly  di-played  b\'  other  innumer- 
able benefits,  has  been  nio>t  manifestly  proved  by  the 
ab'-iiulaiit  crood  results  wliieh  Christendom  has  derived 
from  (Ecumenical  Councils,  and  particularly  from  that 
of  Trent,  althouL;h  it  was  held  in  evil  times.  For,  as  a 
cori.-equence,  the  sacred  doctrines  of  the  faith  have 
been  defined  more  closelv,  and  set  forth  more  fullv,  er- 
rors  licive  been  condemned  and  restrained,  ecclesiastical 
discipline  lias  been  restored  and  more  firmh'  secured, 
the  love  of  learninL;'  and  of  piety  has  been  promoted 
amon.c^^   tlie    clerc^v,  collec^cs  liave   been   established   to 


Decrees  and  Caftans 


of  the  Valicafi  Council. 


educate  youth  for  the  sacred  warfare,  and  the  morals 
of  the  Christian  world  have  been  renewed  by  the  more 
accurate  training  of  the  faithful,  and  by  the  more  fre- 
quent  use  of  the  sacraments.  Moreover,  there  has  re- 
sulted a  closer  communion  of  the  members  with  the 
visible  head,  an  increase  of  vigor  in  the  whole  mystical 
body  of  Christ,  the  multiplication  of  religious  congrega- 
tions and  of  other  institutions  of  Christian  piety,  and 
such  ardour  in  extending  the  kingdom  of  Christ 
throughout  the  world,  as  constantly  endures,  even  to 
the  sacrifice  of  life  itself 

But  while  we  recall  with  due  thankfulness  tnesc  and 
other  signal  benefits  which  the  divine  mercy  has  be- 
stowed on  the  Church,  especially  by  the  last  CEcume- 
nical  Council,  we  cannot  restrain  our  bitter  sorrow  for 
the  grave  evils,  which  arc  principally  due  to  the  fact 
that  the  authority  of  that  sacred  Synod  has  been  con- 
temned, or  its  wise  decrees  neglected,  by  many. 

No  one  is  ignorant  that  the  heresies  proscribed  by 
the  Fathers  of  Trent,  by  which  the  divine  magisterium 
of  the  Church  was  rejected,  and  all  matters  regarding 
religion  were  surrendered  to  the  judgment  of  each  in- 
dividual, gradually  became  dissolved  into  many  sects, 
which  disagreed  and  contended  with  one  another,  until 
at  length  not  a  few  lost  all  faith  in  Christ.  Even  the 
Holy  Scriptures,  which  had  previously  been  declared 
the  sole  source  and  judge  of  Christian  doctrine,  began 
ta  be  bcW  ro  loajjcr  a^  4ir\f%f.\r^\  to  W  T^-jVff^  #nrrr>; 

T^cft  C%9tt  ^fc^,  ai^  9^#  nM^  H^tmn^l  %\r 
«Mt^  iKm  4^t9in^   i4   90i  liiiraattgi 

«hMk  ♦f^t^^  iltHf  It  erefr  fr^y  to  ttc  L       >!ii^  re* 


V 

f 


\ 


ligion  as  a  supernatural  in*;titution,  and  works  with  the 
utmoti  zeal  in  order  ti)at,  after  Christ,  our  sole  Lord 
and  Saviour,  has  been  excluded  from  the  minds  of 
men,  and  from  the  life  and  moral  acts  of  nations,  the 
reign  of  what  they  call  pure  reason  or  nature  may  be 
established.  And  after  forsaking  and  rejecting  the 
Christian  religion,  and  denying  the  true  God  and  His 
Christ,  the  minds  of  many  have  sunk  into  the  abyss  of 
Pantheism,  Materialism,  and  Atheism,  until  denying 
rational  nature  itself  and  every  sound  rule  orriglrr^dRy 
labour  to  destroy  the  deepest  foundations  of  knaaa 
society. 

Unhappily,  it  has  yet  further  come  to  pais  tbit« 
while  this  impiety  prevailed  on  every  side,  manj-  cica 
of  the  children  of  the  Catholic  Church  have  itnqred 
from  the  path  of  true  piety^  and  by  the  gradual  dirili^ 
tion  of  the  truths  they  held,  the  Catholic  sense  bcooc 
weakened  in  them.  For,  led  away  by  varioct  ^#i 
strange  doctrines,  utterly  confusing  nature  and  fTM#« 
human  science  and  divine  faith,  they  arc  found  l^  tStb 
prave  the  true  sense  of  the  doctrines  which  out  lUiy 
Mother  Church  holds  and  teaches,  and  endangcj't^  1)pt 
integrity  and  the  soundness  of  the  faitlu 

Considering  these  things,  how  can  the  Church  Jil  to 
be  deeply  stirred  ?  for,  even  as  God  wills  all  men  9»  bo 
saved,  and  to  arrive  at  the  knowledge  of  the  trath ; 
even  as  Christ  came  to  save  what  had  perished,  $f>i  lo 
jjui^tr  tojjet'iev  xV/:  cViWrcu  of  God  v!io  h2ji  been  dit- 
pecie^  io  the  Chirck,  ccailil^ci  by  Ocd  tibc  8>^tkcr 
ai>i  tcacfocr  c«f  tt^/tkoK  k»€^rM  ft>  cats  ^ffcc  u  dtJblc< 


6 


Decrees  and  Canons 


of  tJic    Vatican  Coicncil. 


h 


I*  ^ 


return,  to  confirm  tlic  good  and  carry  tlicm  on  to  belter 
liiines.  Hence,  it  can  never  forbedr  lVe)!ii  witnessing 
to  and  proclaiminc^  the  trutii  of  God,  wiiiLii  lieals  all 
thines,  knowinc^  the  words  addressed  to  ii  :  "  My  Spirit 
that  is  in  thee,  and  my  w^ords  that  1  Inive  put  in  thy 
mouth,  shall  not  depart  out  of  tlu'  mouth,  from  lience- 
forth  and  for  ever"  (Isaias  lix.  21). 

We,  therefore,  following;  the  footsteps  of  our  prede- 
cessors, have  never  ceased,  as  becomes  our  su[)remc 
Anostolic  office,  from  teachini^^  and  defendin;^-  Catholic 
truth,  and  condemning  doctrines  of  error.  And  now, 
with  the  Bishops  of  the  whole  world  asscnd^led  round  us 
and  judging  with  us,  congregated  by  our  authority,  and 
in  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  this  CEcumenical  Council,  we,  sup- 
ported by  the  Word  of  God  written  and  handed  down 
as  we  received  it  from  the  Catholic  Church,  preserved 
wdth  sacredness  and  set  forth  according  to  truth, — have 
determined  to  profess  and  declare  the  salutary  teaching 
of  Christ  from  this  Chair  of  Peter  and  in  sight  of  all, 
proscribing  and  condemning,  by  the  power  given  us  of 
God,  all  errors  contrary  thereto 


CHArTER  I. 

OF  GOD,  THE  CREATOR  OE  ALL  THINGS. 

The  Holy  Catholic  Apostolic  Roman  Church  believes 
and  confesses  that  there  is  one  true  and  living  God, 
Creator  and  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth.  Almighty, 
Eternal,  Immense,  Incomprehensible,  Infinite  in  intel- 


//v 


i^t 


1 


Hgence,  in  v/lll,  and  in  all  perfection,  who,  as  being  one, 
sole,  absolutely  simple  and  immutable  spiritual  sub- 
stance, is  to  be  declared  as  really  and  essentially  dis- 
tinct from  the  world,  of  supreme  beatitude  in  and  from 
lliip.self,  and  ineffably  exalted  above  all  things  which 
cxi>t,  or  are  conceivable,  except  Himself. 

This  one  only  true  God,  of  His  own  goodness  and 
almighty  power,  not  for  the  increase  or  acquirement  of 
His  own  happiness,  but  to  manifest  His  perfection  by 
tlie  blessinijs  which  He  bestow^s  on  creatures,  and  with 
absolute  freedom  of  counsel,  created  out  of  nothing, 
from  the  very  first  beginning  of  time,  both  the  spiritual 
and  the  corporeal  creature,  to  wit,  the  angelical  and  the 
mundane  and  afterwards  the  human  creature,  as  par- 
taking, in  a  sense,  of  both,  consisting  of  spirit  and  of 

bodv. 

God  protects  and  governs  by  His  Providence  all 
thin^^s  which  He  hath  made,  "reaching  from  end  to 
end  mic-htilv,  and  ordering  all  things  sweetly  "  (Wisdom 
viii.  1).  For  ''  all  things  are  bare  and  open  to  His 
eves  "  (Ileb.  iv.  13),  even  those  wdiich  are  yet  to  be  by 
the  free  action  of  creatures. 


CHAPTER   II. 


OF   REVELATION 


The  same  Holy  Mother  Church  holds  and  teaches 
that  God,  the  beginning  and  end  of  all  things,  may  be 
certainly  known  by  the  natural  light  of  human  reason, 


8 


Decrees  ami  Canons 


of  the    Vatican  CoicnciL 


I 


by  means  of  created  tilings;  "for  the  invisible  thini^s 
of  Him  from  the  creation  of  tlie  world  are  clcarlv  seen 
being  understood  by  the  things  that  are  made"  (  R(V 
mans  i.  20),  but  that  it  pleased  Ilis  wisdom  and  bount\' 
to  repeat  Himself,  and  the  eternal  decrees  of  His  will, 
to  mankind  by  another  and  a  supernatural  way:  as  the 
Apostle  says,  ''  God,  having  spoken  on  divers  occasioiis, 
and  many  ways,  in  times  past,  to  the  fathers  by  the 
prophets  ;  last  of  all,  in  these  days,  hath  spoken  to  us 
by  His  Son  ''  (Hebrews  i.  i,  2). 

It  is  to  be  ascribed  to  this  divine  revelation,  that 
such  truths  among  things  divine  as  of  themselves  are 
not  beyond  human  reason,  can,  even  in  the  present 
condition  of  mankind,  be  known  bv  everv  one  with 
facility,  with  firm  assurance,  and  with  no  admixture  of 
error.  This,  however,  is  not  the  reason  why  revelation 
is  to  be  called  absoluteh^  necessary  ;  but  because  God 
of  His  infinite  goodness  has  ordained  man  to  a  super- 
natural end,  viz  :  to  be  a  sharer  of  divine  blessin^-s 
which  utterly  exceed  the  intelligence  of  the  human 
mind  :  for  ''eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither 
hath  it  entered  into  the  heart  of  man,  what  thincrs  God 
hath  prepared  for  them  that  love  Him  "  (i  Cor  ii.  9). 

Further,  this  supernatural  revelation,  according  to 
the  universal  belief  of  the  Church,  declared  bv  the 
Sacred  Synod  of  Trent,  is  contained  in  the  written 
books  and  unwritten  traditions  which  have  come  down 
to  us,  having  been  received  by  the  Apostles  from  the 
mouth  of  Christ  hhnself,  or  from  the  Apostles  tliem- 
selves,  by  the  dictation  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  have  been 
transmitted,  as  it  were,  from  hand  to  hand.  And  these 
books  of  the  Old  and  New^  Testament  are  to  be  received 


\lr 


as  sacred  and  canonical,  in  their  integrity,  wath  all  their 
parts,  as  they  are  enumerated  in  the  decree  of  the  said 
Council,  and  are  contained  in  the  ancient  Latin  edition 
of  the  V^uli^ate.  These  the  Church  holds  to  be  sacred 
and  canonical  not  because,  having  been  carefully  com- 
posed by  mere  human  industry,  they  were  afterwards 
approved  by  her  authority,  nor  merely  because  they 
contain  revelation,  with  no  admixture  of  error,  but  be- 
cause, having  been  written  by  the  inspiration  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  they  have  God  for  their  author,  and  have 
been  delivered  as  such  to  the  Church  herself. 

And  as  the  things  which  the  Holy  Synod  of  Trent 
decreed  for  the  good  of  souls  concerning  the  interpreta- 
tion of  Divine  Scripture,  in  order  to  curb  rebellious 
spirits,  have  been  wTongly  explained  by  some,  We, 
renewing  the  said  decree,  declare  this  to  be  their 
sense,  that,  in  matters  of  faith  and  morals,  appertain- 
inor  to  the  building  up  of  Christian  doctrine,  this  is  to 
be  held  as  the  true  sense  of  Holy  Scripture  wdiich  our 
Holy  Mother  Church  hath  held  and  holds,  to  whom  it 
belongs  to  judge  of  the  true  sense  and  interpretation 
of  the  Holy  Scripture  ;  and  therefore  that  it  is  per- 
mitted to  no  one  to  interpret  the  Sacred  Scripture  con- 
trary to  this  sense,  nor,  likewise,  contrary  to  the  unani- 
mous consent  of  the  Fathers. 


CHAPTER   HI. 


ON  FAITH. 


Man  being  wdiolly  dependent   upon   God,  as  upon 
his  Creator  and  Lord,  and  created  reason  being  abso- 


lO 


D 


t  C /  LL^      U 


;iJ  Cano/is 


of  the    Vatican  CotmciL 


II 


lately  subject  to  uncreated  truth,  we  are  bound  to  yield 

to  God,  bv  biiih    i:i    His  revelation,  the  full  obedience 

of  our  intellii^cnce  and  will.     And  the  Catholic  Church 

teaches  that  this  faith,  whic'i  i^  the  beginning  of  man's 

salvation,   is  a    supernatural  virtue,  whereby,    inspired 

and  assisted    by  the  grace  of  God,  we  believe  that   the 

things   wliich  He    has   revealed  are  true:  not   because 

of   the   intrinsic    truth  of   the   things,  viewed    by    the 

natural  h'crht  oi  roa    )ri,  but  because  of  the  authority  of 

God  Himself  who  reveals  them,  and  Who  can   neitlier 

be  deceived   nor  deceive.     For    faith,    as   the    Apostle 

testifies,    is    "-  the  substance    of  tilings   hoped   for,  the 

conviction  of  tlnn^s  that  appear  not  "  (Hebrews  i.  II). 

Nevertheless,  in  order  that  the  obedience  of  our  faith 

might  be  in  harniori}'  with  reason,  God  willed  that  to  the 

interior  help  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  there  should  be  joined 

exterior   proofs  of  Hid  revelation  ;  to  v/it,  divine  facts, 

and   especiall}'  miracles  and  prophecies,  which,  as  they 

manifestly  dispLiy  tiic  omnipotence  and  infinite  know- 

led'-^e  of  God,    are    most   certain    proofs   of  Hi^   dixine 

revelation,    adapted    to    the    intelligence    of   all     nie:i. 

Wherefore,  both   Moses  and    the    Prophets,  aPiil  most 

especially,    Christ    our    Lord     Himself,    showed     forth 

many  and  most  evident  miracles   and    prophecies;  arid 

of    the    Apostles   we    read  :     "  Dut    the\'    goin-     forth 

preached   everywhere,   the    Lord    working  witlnd,   and 

confirming  the  word  with  signs  that   full'wvrvl  "  (^Mark 

xvi.  20).     And   again,    it    is    v/rittcn  :    ''We    have   the 

more  firm  prophetical  word,  wdiereunto  you  do  well   to 

attend,  as  to  a  light   shining    in   a   dark    pLico  "   (2   St. 

Peter  i.  19). 

But  thoueh  the  assent  of  faith    is    bv  no    mean.s   a 


; 


I 


s 


blind  action  of  the  mind,  still  no  m:in  can  assent  to  the 
Gospel  teaching,  as  is  necessary  to  obtain  salvation, 
without  the  iihunination  and  inspiration  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  who  gives  to  all  men  sweetness  in  assenting  to 
and  believing  m  tlie  trutli.  Wherefore,  Faith  itself, 
even  when  it  does  not  work  by  charity,  is  in  itself  a 
gift  of  God,  and  tlie  act  of  fiith  is  a  work  appertaining 
to  salvation.,  b\-  which  nnan  yields  voluntary  obedience 
to  God.  llnp.self,  l;)y  assentmg  to  and  co-operating  with 
His  grace,  v;Iiieli  he  is  able  to  resist. 

Fmrther,  ail  tiiose  things  are  to  be  believed  with 
divine  and  Catholic  faith  which  are  contained  in  the 
Word  of  God,  written  or  handed  dowm,  and  which  the 
Church,  either  by  a  solemn  judgment,  or  by  her  ordi- 
nary and  nnivcrsnl  magistcrinm,  proposes  for  belief,  as 
havin.g  been  divinely  revealed. 

And  since,  withon.t  faith,  it  is  impossible  to  please 
God,  and  to  attain  to  the  fellowship  of  his  children, 
therefore  without  faith  no  one  has  ever  attained  justi- 
fication, nior  will  any  one  attain  eternal  life,  unless  he 
sliail  liave  persevered  in  faith  unto  the  end.  And,  that 
we  m:i\'  be  able  to  satisfy  the  obligation  of  embracing 
the  true  faith  and  of  constantly  persevering  in  it,  God 
has  instituted  the  Church  through  IL's  only  begotten 
Son,  and  has  bestowed  on  it  manifest  notes  of  that 
institution,  that  it  maybe  recognized  by  all  men  as  the 
guardian  and  teacher  of  the  revealed  Word  ;  for  to  the 
Catholic  Cluirch  alone  belong  all  those  many  and  ad- 
mirable tokens  which  have  been  divinely  established 
fi)r  the  evident  credibility  of  the  Christian  health.  Nay, 
more,  the  Church  by  itself,  with  its  marvellous  exten- 
sion, its   eminent  holiness,  and  its  inexhaustible  fruit- 


I 


Decrees  and  Canons 


fulness  in  every  good  thing,  with  its  CathoHc  unity  and 
its  invincible  stability,  is  a  great  and  perpetual  motive 
of   credibility,   and   an    irrefutable  witness  of   its  own 

divine  mission. 

And  thus,  like  a  standard  set  up  unto  the  nations 
(Isaias  xi.  I2),  it  both  invites  itself  to  those  who  do 
not  vet  believe,  and  assures  its  children  that  the  faith 
which  they  profess  rests  on  the  most  firna  foundation. 
And  its  testimony  is  efficaciously  supported  by  a 
power  from  on  hi^h.  For  our  most  mcrciiul  Lord 
gives  His  grace  to  stir  ui)  and  to  aid  those  who  are 
astray,  that  they  may  come  to  a  knowncd^e  of  tiie 
truth  ;  and  to  those  whom  He  has  brou-ht  out  of  dark- 
ness into  His  own  admirable  light  He  <nvcs  His  grace 
to  strengthen  them  to  persevere  in  that  li:.:ht,  deserting 
none  who  desert  not  Him.  Therefore  there  is  no  parity 
between  the  condition  of  those  who  h;ive  adhered  to 
the  Catholic  truth  by  the  heaven.ly  gift  of  faith,  and 
of  those  who,  led  by  human  opinion:^,  follow  u  false  re- 

li'-^ion  •  for  those  who  have  received  the  iaith  uUider  the 

♦^  . 

ma'^isterium  of   the   Church   can    never  have  any  just 

cause  for  changing  or  doubting  that  iaith.  ''1  here- 
fore  o-ivin^^  thanks  to  God  the  Father  who  has  made 
us  worthy  to  be  partakers  of  the  lot  of  the  Saints  in 
light,  let  us  not  neglect  so  great  salvation,  but  with  our 
eves  fixed  on  Jesus,  the  author  and  finisher  of  our 
Faith,  let  us  hold  fast  the  confession  of  our  hope  with- 
out wavering"  (Hebr.  xii.  2,  and  x.  23). 


i  t' 


V 


( 


! 


of  the   Vatica7i  Council.  13 

CHAPTER  TV. 

OF  FAITH   AND   REASON. 

The  Catholic   Church,   with   one    consent,   has   also 
ever  held  and.  does  hold  that  there  is  a  twofold  order 
of  knowledge,   di>tinct    both    in   principle   and  also  in 
object  ;    in  principle,  because  our  knowledge  in  the  one 
is  by  natural  reason,  and   in  the  other  by  divine  faith  ; 
in  object,  because,  besides  those  things  to  which  natu- 
r:d  reason  can  attain,  there   are  proposed  to  our  belief 
mysteries   hidden   in   God,    which,   unless    divinely  re- 
vealed, cannot   be   known.       Wherefore    the   Apostle, 
who    testifies    that     God     is     known    by    the    gentiles 
through  created  things,  still  when   discoursing   of  the 
grace   and  truth  which  come  by  Jesus  Christ    (John  i. 
17)  says  :  "  We  speak  the  wisdom  of  God  in  a  mysteiy, 
a  wisdom  which  is  hidden,  which  God  ordained  before 
the  world  unto  our  glory;  which  none  of  the  princes 
of  this  world  knew     .     .     .      but  to   us   God  hath  re- 
vealed them  by  His  Spirit.     For  the  Spirit  searcheth 
all  things,  yea,  the  deep  things  of  God  "  (i  Cor.  ii.  7-9). 
And  the  only- begotten  Son  himself  gives  thanks  to  the 
Father,  because  He  has  hid  these  things  from  the  wise 
and  prudent,  and  has  revealed  them  to  little  ones  (Matt, 
xi.  25). 

Reason,  indeed,  enlightened  by  faith,  when  it  seeks 
earnestly,  piously,  and  calmly,  attains  by  a  gift  from 
God  some,  and  that  a  very  fruitful,  understanding  of 
mysteries  ;  partly  from  the  analogy  of  those  things 
which    it    naturally  knows,  partly    from    the    relations 


H 


Decrees  and  Canons 


of  the   Vatican  CoiinciL 


15 


which  the  mysteries  bear  to  one  another  and  to  the  last 
end  of  man ;  but  reason  never  becomes  capable  of  ap- 
prehending mysteries  as  it  does  those  truths  which 
constitute  its  proper  object.  For  the  divine  mysteries 
by  their  own  nature  so  far  transcend  the  created  in- 
telligence that,  even  when  delivered  by  revelation  and 
received  by  faith,  they  remain  covered  with  the  vail  of 
faith  itself,  and  shrouded  in  a  certain  degree  of  dark- 
ness, so  long  as  we  are  pilgrims  in  this  mortal  life,  not 
yet  with  God  ;  ''  for  we  walk  by  faith  and  not  by  sight "' 
(2  Cor.  V.  7). 

But  although  faith  is  above  reason,  there  can  never 
be  any  real  discrepancy  between  faith  and  reason,  since 
the  same  God  who  reveals  mysteries  and  infuses  faith 
has  bestowed  the  light  of  reason  on  the  human  mind, 
and  God  cannot  deny  Himself,  nor  can  truth  ever  con- 
tradict truth.  The  false  appearance-  of  such  a  contra- 
diction is  mainly  due,  either  to  the  dogmas  of  faith  not 
having  been  understood  and  expounded  according  to 
the  mind  of  the  Church,  or  to  the  inventions  of  opinion 
having  been  taken  for  the  verdicts  of  reason.  We  de- 
fine, therefore,  that  every  assertion  contrary  to  a  truth 
of  enlightened  faith  is  utterly  false.^  Further,  the 
Church,  which,  together  with  the  Apostolic  office  of 
teachings,  has  received  a  charge  to  guard  the  deposit 
of  faith,  derives  from  God  the  right  and  the  duty  of 
proscribing  false  science,  lest  any  should  be  deceived 
by  philosophy  and  vain  fallacy  (Coloss.  ii.  8).     There- 

*  From  the  Bull  of  Pope  Leo  X.,  Apostolici  r^giminis.  read  in  the 
V^III.  Session  of  the  Fifth  Lateran  Council,  a.d.  1513.  See  Labbe'a 
Councils,  vol.  xix.,  p.  842,  Venice,  1732. 


i  <i 


K 


) 


fore  all  faithful  Christians  are  not  only  forbidden  to  de- 
fend, as  legitimate  conclusions  of  science,  such  opinions 
as  are  known  to  be  contrary  to  the  doctrines  of  faith, 
especially  if  they  have  been  condemned  by  the  Church, 
bu*t  are  altogether  bound  to  account  them  as  errors 
which  put  on  the  fallacious  appearance  of  truth. 

And  not  only  can  faith  and  reason  never  be  opposed 
to  one  another,  but  they  are  of  mutual  aid  one  to  the 
other  ;  for  right  reason  demonstrates  the  foundations 
of  faith,  and,  enlightened  by  its  light,  cultivates  the 
science  of  things  divine  ;  while  faith  frees  and  guards 
reason   from   errors,  and    furnishes    it   with    manifold 
knowledge.     So  far,  therefore,  is  the  Church  from,  op- 
posing the  cultivation  of  human  arts  and  sciences,  that 
it  in  many  ways  helps  and  promotes  it.     For  the  Church 
neither  ignores  nor  despises  the  benefits  to  human  life 
which  result  from  the  arts  and  sciences,  but  confesses 
that,  as  they  came  from  God,  the  Lord  of  all  science, 
so,  if  they  be  rightly  used,  they  lead  to  God  by  the 
help  of  His  grace.     Nor  does  the  Church  forbid  that 
each  of  these  sciences  in  its  sphere  should  make  use  of 
its  own  principles  and  its  own  method ;  but,  while  re- 
cognising this  just  liberty,  it  stands  watchfully  on  guard, 
les't    sciences,  setting    themselves    against   the   divme 
teaching,  or  transgressing  their  own  limits,  should  in- 
vade and  disturb  the  domain  of  faith. 

For  the  doctrine  of  faith  which  God  hath  revealed 
has  not  been  proposed,  like  a  philosophical  invention, 
to  be  perfected  by  human  ingenuity,  but  has  been  de- 
livered as  a  divine  deposit  to  the  Spouse  of  Christ,  to 
be  faithfully  kept  and  infallibly  declared.  Hence  al.'O, 
that  meaning  of  the  sacred  dogmas  is  perpetually  to  be 


i6 


Decrees  and  Canons 


retained  which  our  Holy  Mother  the  Church  has  once 
declared  ;  nor  is  that  meaning  ever  to  be  departed 
from,  under  the  pretence  or  pretext  of  a  deeper  com- 
prehension  of  them.  Let,  then,  the  intelHgence,  science 
and  wisdom  of  each  and  all,  of  individuals  and  of  the 
whole  Church,  in  all  ages  and  all  times,  increase  and 
flourish  in  abundance  and  vigor ;  but  simply  in  its  own 
proper  kind,  that  is  to  say,  in  one  and  the  same  doc- 
trine, one  and  the  same  sense,  one  and  the  same  judg- 
ment (Vincent,  of  Lerins,  Common,  n.  28). 


V 


of  the   Vatican  Council. 


17 


being,  which  by  determining  itself  constitutes  the  uni- 
versality of  things,  distinct  according  to  general  species 
and  individuals  ;  let  him  be  anathema. 

5.  If  any  one  confess  not  that  the  world,  and  all 
thines  which  are  contained  in  it,  both  spiritual  and  ma- 
terial,  have  been,  in  their  whole  substance,  produced 
by  God  out  of  nothing  ;  or  shall  say  that  God  created, 
not  by  His  will,  free  from  all  necessity,  but  by  a 
necessity  equal  to  the  necessity  whereby  he  loves  Him- 
self; or  shall  deny  that  the  world  was  made  for  the 
glory  of  God ;  let  him  be  anathema. 


CANONS. 


I. 


Of  God,  the  Creator  of  all  things. 

1.  If  any  one  shall  deny  One  true  God,  Creator 
and  Lord  of  things  visible  and  invisible  ;  let  him  be 
anathema. 

2.  If  any  one  shall  be  not  ashamed  to  affirm  that, 
except  matter,  nothing  exists ;  let  him  be  anathema. 

3.  If  any  one  shall  say  that  the  substance  and  es- 
sence of  God  and  of  all  things  is  one  and  the  same  ;  let 
him  be  anathema. 

4.  If  any  one  shall  say  that  finite  things,  both  cor- 
poreal and  spiritual,  or  at  least  spiritual,  have  emanated 
from  the  divine  substance  ;  or  that  the  divine  essence 
by  the  manifestation  and  evolution  of  itself  becomes 
all  things ;  or,  lastly,  that  God  is  universal  or  indefinite 


II. 

Of  Revelation. 

I.  If  any  one  shall  say  that  the  One  True  God,  our 
Creator  and  Lord,  cannot  be  certainly  known  by  the 

■    natural  light  of  human  reason  through  created  things  ; 

;    let  him  be  anathema. 

/  2.  If  any  one  shall  say  that  it  is  impossible  or  inex- 

pedient  that  man  should  be  taught,  by  divine  revela- 
tion, concerning  God  and  the  worship  to  be  paid  to 
Him  ;  let  him  be  anathema. 

3.  If  any  one  shall  say  that  man  cannot  be  raised  by 
divine  power  to  a  higher  than  natural  knowledge  and 
perfection,  but  can  and  ought,  by  a  continuous  progress, 
to  arrive  at  length,  of  himself,  to  the  possession  of  all 
that  is  true  and  good  ;  let  him  be  anathema. 

4.  If  anyone  shall  not  receive  as  sacred  and  canoni- 
cal the  Books  of  Holy  Scripture,  entire  with  all  their 
parts,  as   the  Holy  Synod  of  Trent   has  enumerated 


[''1 


i8 


of  the  Vatican  CouwiL 


tliem^  or  shall  deny  that  they  have  been  divinely  in- 
spired  ;  let  him  be  anathema. 

III. 
0/  Faith. 

1.  If  any  one  shall  say  that  human  reason  is  so  In- 
dependent that  faith  cannot  be  enjoined  upon  it  by 
God  ;  let  him  be  anathema. 

2.  If  any  one  shall  say  that  divine  faith  is  not  dis- 
tinguished from  natural  knowledge  of  God  and  of  moral 
truths,  and  therefore  that  it  is  not  requisite  lor  divine 
faith  that  revealed  tnith  be  believed  because  of  the 
authority  of  God,  Who  reveals  it ;  let  him  be  anathema. 

3.  If  any  one  shall  say  that  divine  revelation  cannot 
be  made  credible  by  outward  si-:: .,  and  therefore  that 
men  ought  to  be  moved  to  faith  solely  by  the  internal 
experience  of  each,  or  by  private  inspiration  ;  let  him 
be  anathema. 

4.  If  any  one  shall  say  that  miracles  are  impossible, 
and  therefore  that  all  the  accounts  regarding  them, 
even  those  contained  in  Holy  Scripture,  are  to  be 
dismissed  as  fabulous  or  mythical ;  or  that  miracles 
can  never  be  known  with  certainty,  and  that  the  divine 
origin  of  Christianity  cannot  be  proved  by  them  ;  let 
him  be  anathema. 

5.  If  any  one  shall  say  that  the  assent  of  Christian 
faith  is  not  a  free  act,  but  inevitably  produced  by  the 
arguments  of  human  reason  ;  or  that  the  grace  of  God 
IS  necessary  for  that  living  faith  only  which  worketh  by 
charity  ;  let  him  be  anathema. 

6.  If  any  one  shall  say  that  the  condition  of  the 


Decrees  and  Ca7ions 


19 


t 


faithful,  and  of  those  who  have  not  yet  attained  to  the 
only  true  f;uth,  is  on  a  par,  so  that  Catholics  may  have 
just  cause  for  doubting,  with  suspended  assent,  the 
fiuth  which  they  have  already  received  under  the 
inagistcrium  of  the  Church,  until  they  shall  have  oo- 
tained  a  scientific  demonstration  of  the  credibility  and 
truth  of  their  faith ;  let  him  be  anathema. 


V. 


20 


Decrees  and  Canons 


of  the  Vatican  Council. 


21 


First  Dogmatic  Constitutiox 

ON  THE  CHURCH  OF  CHRIST. 

Published  in  the  Fourth  Session  of  the  Holy  (Eametiical 

Council  of  the  Vatican. 

PIUS.  BISHOP.  SERVANT  OK  THE  SERVANTS  OF  COD. 
WITH  THE  APPROVAL  OF  THE  SACRED  COUNCIL, 
FOR  AX   EVEUI-ASTIXG   RI:MHMBR.\NCE. 

The  Eternal  Pastor  and  Bishop  of  our  souls,  in 
order  to  continue  for  all  time  tlie  life-giving  work  of 
His  Redemption,  determined  to  build  up  the  Holy 
Church,  wherein,  as  in  the  House  of  the  living  God, 
all  who  believe  might  be  united  in  the  bond  of  one 
faith  and  one  charity.  Wherefore,  before  He  entered 
into  His  glory.  He  prayed  unto  the  Father,  not  for  the 
Apostles  only,  but  for  those  also  who  through  their 
preaching  should  come  to  believe  in  him.  that  all  might 
be  one  even  as  He  the  Son  and  the  Father  arc  one.* 
A«  •'  •'  He  sent  the  AjJO'Stlcs  whom  he  had  chosen  to 
H-i  >..f  ff^<*  the  WotU.  v»  Mr  lltnwK  \       >c-rf  M 

■aaioo  mO         *»«*  H  HU0*^*»  «♦«!»•  cb4  el 


\ 


» 


world.     And  in  order  that  the  Episcopate  also  might 
be  one  and  undivided,  and  that  by  means  of  a  closely 
united  pricsliiood  ihc  multitude  of  the  faithful  might 
be  kept  secure  in  the  oneness  of  faslh  and  communion. 
He  set  Blessed  Peter  over  the  rest  of  the  Apostles,  and 
fixed    in    him  the  abiding   principle  of   this   two-fold 
unitv.  and    iis    visible    foundation,  in  the  strength  of 
which   the  everlasting   temple  should  arise   and   the 
Church   in  the  firmness  of  that  faith  should   lift  her 
majestic  front  to  heaven.     And  seeing  that  tli#  { 
of  hell  with  daily  increase  of  hatred  are  gathcrl#^  t 
strength  on  ever)'  side  to  upheave  the  foundatio»   '. 
God's  own  hand,  and  so,  if  that  might  be,  to  o\ 


•  tr» 


the  Church  ;  We,  therefore,  for  the  presorvati-        ^U 
keeping,  and  increase  of  the  Catholic  flock,  ••liii 
approval  of  the  Sacred  Council,  do  judge  it  to  b<  fK«w» 
s^iry  to  propose  to  the  belief  and  acceptance  oi  Jl  !^r 
faithful,  in  accordance  with  the  ancient  and  c-r  •• 
faith  of  the  univcrKid  Church,  the  doctrine  touciiJ^  U>i 
institution,  perpetuity,  and  nature  of  the  sacrci  A9«** 
tolic    Primacy,   in   which   is   found    the  strenpi   axaJ 
solidity  of  tlic  entire  Church,  and  at  the  same  -JrtM  to 
prescribe  and  condemn  the  contrary  errors,  su  xiTtfd 
to  the  flock  of  Christ. 


or 


CHAPTER  I. 

ivcrmmttie  *r  not  jifOJ 


lidMiurf 


•  3c 


i«^  tr 


•  ifUlmty «r the  O^tpd.  1)k pf*»a^>of M***^*=^ 


■  Jl 


n  ^ 


Decrees  a7id  Canons 


over  the  universal  Church  of  God  was  immediately  and 
directly  promised  and  given  to  Blessed  Peter  the  Apos- 
tle by  Christ  tlic  Lord.  For  it  was  to  Simon  alone,  to 
whom  He  had  already  said :  Thou  shalt  be  called  Ce- 

jilias,"^  th.it  the  Lord  after  the  confession  made  by  him, 
sa}^ing;  :  Thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God, 
addressed  those  solemn  words  :  Blessed  art  thou,  Simon 
13ar-Jona,  because  tlesh  and  blood  have  not  revealed  it 

to  thee,  but  iiu'  Father  who  is  in  Heaven.  Ami  I  sav 
to  thee  tliut  tiiou  art  Peter;  and  upon  this  rock  1  will 
build  \wx  Church,  ;uk1  the  r^ates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail 
ac^ainst  it.  And  1  w  id  give  to  thee  the  keys  of  the 
kingdom  of  Heaven.  And  whatsoever  thou  shalt  biud 
upon  earth,  it  shall  be  l)ouiul  also  in  lieaven,  and  whul- 
socver  thou  shalt  loose  on  earth,  it  shall  be  loosed  also 
iu  lieaven. +  And  it  was  upon  Simon  alone  that  Jesus 
after  His  resurrection  bestowed  the  jurisdiction  of 
Chief  Pastor  and  Ruler  over  all  His  fold  in  the  words  : 
Feed  iri}  Limbs  :  feed  my  sheep.:}:  At  open  variance 
with  this  clear  doctrine  of  Holy  Scripture  as  it  has 
been  ever  uriderstood  h^\  the  Catholic  Church  are  the 
perverse  opinions  of  tliose  who,  while  they  distort  the 
form  of  government  established  b}'  Christ  the  Lord  m 
His  Church,  deny  tiiat  Peter  in  liis  single  person,  pre- 
ferably to  all  the  otlier  Apostles,  v/hether  taleen  sepa- 
rately or  together,  was  endowed  by  Chri-t  with  a  true 
and  proper  primac}'  of  jurisdictir)n  :  or  cA  tliose  \vnio  as- 
sert that  the  same  primac}'  wa^  not  bestowed  imnie^ 
diately  and  directly  upon  Blcs-cd  Petm-  himself,  but 
upon  the  Church,  and  through  the  Church  on  Peter  as 
her  Jylinister. 


k 

i'*l 


./ 


* 


St.  John  i.  42.      t  St.  Mattiicw  xvi.  16-19.     ;  St.  John  xx!.  15-17. 


> 


of  the   Vatican  Coicncil. 


If  any  one,  therefore,  shall  say  that  Blessed  Peter 
the  Apostle  was  not  appointed  the  Prince  of  all  the 
Apostles  and  the  visible  Head  of  the  whole  Church 
Militant  ;  or  that  the  same  directly  and  immediately 
received  from  the  same  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  a  pri- 
macy of  honour  only,  and  not  (U  true  and  proper  juris- 
diction ;  let  him  be  anathema. 


CHAPTER  H. 


ox 


TIIK   PKRPKTUITY    OF    THE    PRIMACY    OF   BLESSED 
PETER   IN   THE    ROMAN   PONTIFFS. 


That  which  the  Prince  of  Shepherds  and  great 
Shepherd  of  the  sheep,  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord,  estab- 
lished HI  tile  person  of  the  Blessed  Apostle  Peter  to 
secure  the  perpetual  welfare  and  lasting  good  of  the 
Church,  must,  by  the  same  institution,  necessarily  re- 
main unceasingly  in  the  Church  ;  which,  being  founded 
upon  the  Rock,  will  stand  firm  tu  the  end  of  the  world. 
p^r  none  can  doubt,  and  it  is  known  to  all  ages,  that 
tlic  holy  and  Blessed  Peter,  tlie  Ih-ince  and  Chief  of  the 
Apostles,  tlie  pillar  of  the  faith  and  foundation  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  received  the  keys  of  the  kingdom 
from  Oua-  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Saviour  and  Re- 
deemer of  mardaind,  and  lives,  presides,  and  judges,  to 
this  day  and  always,  in  his  successors  the  Bishops  of  the 
Holv  See  of  Rome,  which  was  founded  by  him,  and 
con  Jecrated  by  his  blood.  Whence,  whosoever  succeeds 
to  Peter  in  this  See,  docs  by  the  institution  of  Christ 


24 


Decrees  and  Canons 


Himself  obtain  the  Primacy  of  Peter  over  the  whole 
Church.  The  disposition  made  by  Incarnate  Truth 
therefore  remains,  and  Blessed  Peter,  abiding  through 
the  strength  of  the  Rock  in  the  power  that  he  received, 
has  not  abandoned  the  direction  of  the  Church. 
Wherefore  it  has  at  all  times  been  necessary  that  every 
particular  Church — that  is  to  say,  the  faithful  through- 
out the  world — should  agree  with  the  Roman  Church, 
on  account  of  the  greater  authority  of  the  princedom 
which  tliis  has  received  ;  that  all  beine  associated  in 
tlic  unity  of  that  See  whence  the  rights  of  communion 
spread  to  all  naiQlit:  grow  together  as  members  of  one 
Hea.d  in  tlic  cunipcict  unity  of  the  body. 

If,  then,  any  should  iia:!)-  that  it  is  by  the  institu- 
tion of  Christ  tlic  Lord,  or  by  divine  right,  that  i)less- 
ed  Peter  should  liave  a  perpetual  line  of  successors  in 
the  Pririiac\'  over  the  Universal  Church,  or  that  tlie 
Roman  Pontiff  is  the  successor  of  lUcssed  i'ctcr  i:i 
tlii.-^  pnniac}'  ;   let  liini  be  anrithcma. 


CHAi"r;:R  in. 


ON    THE    POWER   AND    NArURE    OY   'WW,     Pi:iMA('V    OF 

THE    Ru^LVX    POXTHE. 

Wherefore,  restin^.^  on  |:)Iain  tc-timonics  of  the  Sa- 
cred Writings,  and  adhering  to  the  |_)iain  and  express 
decrees  both  of  our  predecessors,  tiic  Roman  Pontiffs, 
and  of  the  Genera!  Councils,  \W^  rcn.cw  the  dchnition 
of  the  CEcumenical  Council  of  Inorcnce,  in  virtue  of 


\ 


of  the   Vatican  Council 


25 


* 


> 


> 


\ 


%  * 


which  all  the  faithful  of  Christ  must  believe  that  the 
Holy  Apostolic  See  and  the  Roman  Pontiff  possesses 
the  primacy  over  the  whole  world,  and  that  the  Roman 
Pontiff  is  the  successor  of  Blessed  Peter,  Prince  of  the 
Apostles,  and  is  true  Vicar  of  Christ,  and  Head  of  the 
whole  Church,  and  Father  and  Teacher  of  all  Chris- 
tians ;  and  that  full  power  was  given  to  him  in  Blessed 
Peter  to  rule,  feed,  and  govern  the  Universal  Church 
by  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord  ;  as  is  also  contained  in  tlic 
acts  of  the  General  Councils  and  in  the  Sacred  Canons. 

Hence  we  teach  and  declare  that  by  the  appoint- 
ment uf  our  Lord  the  Runuui  Church  possesses  a  supe- 
riority of  ordinary  power  over  aill  other  Churches,  and 
that  this  puwcr  of  juri.^diction  of  the  Roman  Pontiff, 
which  is  trui\'  episcopal,  is  immediate  ;  to  which  all,  of 
wliatever  rite  ur  dign.it}',  both  pastors  and  faithful, 
bt'iii  individually  and  collectively,  are  bound,  by  their 
duty  of  hierarclTical  suborilinatlon  and  true  obedience, 
to  submit,  not  only  in  matters  which  belong  to  faith 
and  morals,  but  al^o  in  those  tliat  api)crtain  to  the  dis- 
cipline and  government  of  the  Church  throughout  the 
world,  so  that  the  Church  of  Christ  may  be  one  flock 
under  one  supreme  pastor  through  the  preservation  of 
iniit-.- [jotli  of  communion,  and  of  profession  of  the  same 
faith  with  the  Roman  Pontiff.  This  is  the  teaching  of 
Catholic  truth,  from  which  no  one  can  deviate  without 
loss  of  faith  and  of  salvation. 

]>iit  so  far  is  this  power  of  the  Supreme  Pontiff 
from  being  any  prejudice  to  the  ordinary  and  immedi- 
ate ])o\ver  of  episcopal  jurisdiction,  by  which  Bishops, 
who  have  been  sent  by  the  Holy  Ghost  to  succeed  and 
hold  the  place  of  the  Apostles,  feed  and  govern,  each 


■'    V. 


X 


y  ,♦' 


.-  Jt 


I  '< 


26 


Decrees  and  Canons 


Ills  own  flock,  as  true  Pastors,  that  this  their  episcopal 
authontv  is  really  asserted,  strengthened  and  protected 
by  the  supreme 'and   universal   Pastor;    in  accordance 
^vitll  the  words  of  St.   Circ-ory  the  Great:   my  honour 
is  the  honour  of  tlie  whole  Church.     My  lu^nonr  is  the 
firm  strength  of  my  brelhren.     I   am  truly  honoured, 
when  the  honour  due  to  each  and  all  is  not  witliluld. 
Further,  from  this  sui)remc  power  possessed  by  the 
Roman  Pontiff  of  governing  the  Universal  Churcli,  it  fel- 
lows that  he  has  the  ri-ht  of  free  communication  with 
the  Pastors  of  the  whole  Church,  and.  with  their  flocks, 
that  these  may  be  tau-ht  and  ruled  by  him  in  ^ne  way 
of  salvation.  '  Wherefore  we  condemn  and   reject  the 
opinions  of  those  who   hold    th.at    tl;e    communication 
between  this  Supreme  Head  and  the  Pastors  an.d  their 
flocks  can  lawfully  be  impeded  ;  or  who  make  this  com- 
munication subject  to  the  will  of  tlie  secular  power,  so 
as  to  maintain  that  whatever  is  done  by  the  Apostolic 
See.   or   by   its  authority,  for  the  government  of  the 
Church,  cannot  have  force  or  value  unless  it  be  con- 
firmed b\-  the  assent  of  the  secular  power.      And  since 
by  the  d'ivine   right   of  Apostolic  in-iniac;.-,  tlie    ivuinan 
Pontiff  is  placed  over  the  Cniversal  Church,  we  fu.rtlu  r 
teach  and  declare  that  he  is  the  supreme  jude-e  of  the 
faithful,  and   that   in   all   cau.^e.-;   the   decision   i>\   which 
belongs  to  the  Church,  recourse  may  be  had  to  lus  tri- 
bunal, and  that  none  may  re-open  the  judgment  of  tlie 
Apostolic  See,  than  whose  authority  there  is  no  greater, 
nor  can  any  lawfully  review  its  judgment."     Wdierelore 
thev  err  from  the  right  course  who  assert  that  it  is  l.iw- 

*  From  Letter  viii.   of  Pope  Nicholas  I.,  a.d.  S:S.  to  ib.c  Eiupcror 
Michael,  in  Labbe's  Councils  vol.  ix.  pp.  I3.*9  and  157^- 


V  . 


A 


■^ ._ ..  . 


V 


s 


) 


I 


\ 


\ 


of  ihe   Vatican  Council. 


27 


ful  to  appeal  from  the  judgments  of  the  Roman  Pon- 
tiffs to  an  (Ecumenical  Council  as  to  an  authority 
higher  than  that  of    the   Roman    I'ontiff. 

If  then  any  shall  say  tliat  the  Roman  Pontiff  has 
the  office  mcrcl}-  of  inspection  or  direction,  and  not  full 
arid  supreme  power  of  jurisdiction  over  the  Universal 
Clmrcli,  not  only  in  things  which  belong  to  faith  and 
uioraL-^,  but  also  in  those  which  relate  to  the  discipline 
and  government  of  the  Church  spread  throughout  the 
woiid  ;  or  assert  that  he  possesses  merely  the  principal 
part,  and  not  all  the  fullness  of  this  supreme  power;  or 
that  tliis  i)0wer  which  he  enjoys  is  not  ordinary  and 
immediate,  both  over  each  and  all  the  Churches  and 
over  each  and  all  the  Pastors  and  the  faithful  ;  let  him 
be  anathema. 


CHAPTER  IV 

CONCERNING  THT   TXFAT.LIBLE   TEACHING    OF  THE 

ROMAN   rONTIFF. 

Moreover,  that  the  supreme  power  of  teaching  is 
also  included  in  the  Apostolic  primacy,  which  the 
Roman  Pontiff,  as  the  successor  of  Peter,  Prince  of  the 
Apostles,  possesses  over  the  whole  Church,  this  Holy 
See  has  always  held,  the  perpetual  practice  of  the 
Cdiurch  confirms,  and  (Ecumenical  Councils  also  have 
declared,  especially  those  in  which  the  East  with  the 
West  met  in  the  union  of  faith  and  charity.  For  the 
P":ithers  of  the  Fourth  Council  of  Constantinople,  fol- 
lowing   in    the    footsteps   of  their  predecessors,  gave 


y     '         .\.^ 


28 


Decrees  and  Canons 


forth  this  solemn   profession  :    The  first  condition  of 
salvation  is  to  keep  the  rule  of  the  true  faith.     And 
because  the  sentence  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  cannot 
be  passed  by,  who  said  :    Thou   art  Peter,  and  upon 
this  Rock  I  will  build  my  Church,"  these  things  which 
have  been  said  are  approved  by  events,  because  in  the 
Apostolic  See  the  Catholic  religion  and  her  holy  and 
w^ell-known  doctrine  has  always  been  kept  undefiled. 
Desiring,  therefore,  not  to  be  in  the  least  degree  sepa- 
rated from  the  faith  and  doctrine  of  that  See,  we  hope 
that  we   may  deserve    to   be   in   the   one  communion, 
which   the  Apostolic  See   preaches,   in    which    is    the 
entire  and  true  soHdity  of  the  Christian  reliction.     And, 
with  the  approval  of  the  Second  Council  of  Lyons,  the 
Greeks  professed  that  the  Holy  Roman  Church  enjoys 
supreme  and  full   Primacy  and  pre-eminence  over  the 
whole  Catholic  Church,  which  it  truly  and  humbly  ac 
knowledges   that  it  has  received  with  the  plenitude  of 
power  from  our   Lord   Himself  in  the  person  of  the 
blessed  Peter,  Prince  or  Head  of  the  Apostles,  whose 
successor  the  Roman   Pontiff  is ;    and  as  the  Apostolic 
See  is  bound  before  all  others  to  defend  the  truth  of 
faith,  so  also  if  any  questions  regarding  faith  shall  arise, 
they  must  be  defined  by  its  judgment.     Finally,  the 
Council  of  Florence  defined  :  That  the  Roman  Pontiff 
is  the  true  Vicar  of  Christ,  and  the  Head  of  the  whole 
Church,  and  the  Father  and  Teacher  of  all  Christians; 
and  that  to  him  in  blessed  Peter  was  delivered  by  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  the  full  power  of  feeding,  ruling  and 
governing  the  whole  Church  (John  xxi.  15-17) 

•  St  M;5tchcw  xvi.  18- 


of  the  Vatica7i  CoimciL 


29 


A 


\ 

!  I 


> 


I 


i 


9i 

V 


To  satisfy  this  pastoral  duty  our  predecessors  ever 
made  unwearied  efforts  that  the  salutary  doctrine  of 
Christ  might  be  propagated  among  all  the  nations  of 
the  earth,  and  with  equal  care  watched  that  it  might 
be  preserved  genuine  and  pure  where  it  had  been  re- 
ceived. Therefore  the  Bishops  of  the  whole  w^orld, 
now  singly,  now  assembled  in  synod,  following  the 
long  established  custom  of  Churches,  and  the  form  of 
the  ancient  rule,  sent  word  to  the  Apostolic  See  of 
those  dangers  especially  which  sprang  up  in  matters  of 
faith,  tliat  there  the  losses  of  faith  mij^ht  be  most  effec- 
tually repaired  where  the  faith  cannot  fail.  And  the 
Roman  Pontifis,  according  to  the  exigencies  of  times 
and  circumstance?,  sometimes  assembling  Qicumenical 
Councils,  or  asking  for  the  mind  of  the  Church  scatter- 
ed throughout  the  world,  sometimes  by  particular 
synods,  sometimes  using  other  helps  which  Divine 
Providence  supplied,  defined  as  to  be  held  those  things 
%vhich  with  the  help  of  God  they  had  recognized  as 
conformable  with  the  Sacred  Scriptures  and  Apostolic 
Traditions.  For  the  Holy  Spirit  was  not  promised  to 
the  successors  of  Peter  that  by  His  revelation  they 
mi^rht  make  known  new  doctrine,  but  that  bv  His  as- 
sistancc  they  might  inviolably  keep  and  faithfully  ex- 
pound the  revelation  or  deposit  of  faith  delivered 
through  the  Apostles.  And  indeed  all  the  venerable 
Fathers  have  cmbniced  and  the  holy  orthodox  Doctors 
have  venerated  and  followed  their  Apostolic  doctrine; 
knowing  most  fully  that  this  See  of  holy  Peter  remains 
ever  free  from  all  blemish  of  error  according  to  the 
divine  promise  of  the  Lord  our  Saviour  made  to  the 
Prince  of  His  disciples:   I  have  prayed  for  thee  that 


v.. 


30 


Decrees  and  Canons 


of  the  Vatican  CotmciL 


31 


thy  faith  fail  not,  and,  when  thou  art  converted,  con- 
firm thy  brethren.* 

This  gift,  then,  of  truth  and  never-failing  faith  was 
conferred  by  Heaven  upon  Peter  and  his  successors  in 
this  Chair,  that  they  might  perform  their  high  office 
for  the  salvation  of  all ;  that  the  whole  flock  of  Christ, 
kept  away  by  them  from  the  poisonous  food  of  error, 
might  be  nourished  wdth  the  pasture  of  heavenly  doc- 
trine :  til  it  the  occasion  of  schism  being  removed  from 
the  whole  Church,  it  might  be  kept  one,  and,  resting 
on  its  foundation,  might  stand  firm  against   the  gates 

of  hell. 

But  since  in   this  very  age,  in   which  the   salutary 
efficacy  of  the  Apostolic  office  is  most  of  all  required, 
not  a  few  are  found  who  take  away  from  its  authority, 
w^e  judge  it  altogether  necessary  solemnly  to  assert  the 
prerogative  which  the  only-begotten  Son  of  God  vouch- 
safed to  join  with  the  supreme  pastoral  office. 
f"  Therefore  faithfully  adhering   to    the    tradition    re- 
ceived from   the  beginning  of  the  Christian  faith,  for 
the  glory  of  God  Our  Saviour,  the   exaltation  of  the 
Catholic  Religion,  and  the  salvation  of  Christian  peo- 
ple, the  Sacred  Council  approving.  We  teach  and  de- 
fine that  it  is  a  dogma  divinely  revealed  :  that  the  Ro- 
man Pontiff,  when  he  speaks  ex  cathcdrd,  that  is,  wdien 
in  discharge  of  the  office  of  Pastor  and  Doctor  of  all 
Christians,  bv  virtue  of  his  supreme  Apostolic  authori- 


t\'  ho 


ic 


fines  a  doctrine  regarding  faith  or  morals  to  be 
held  by  th-  Universal  Church,  by  the  divine  assistance 

promised  to  him  111  blessed  Peter,  is  possessed  of  that 

^•-  St.  Luke  xxi;.  12.     See  also  the  Actsof  the  Sixth  General  Council, 
A.D.  680. 


A 


V^ 


\ 


infallibility  with  which  the  divine  Redeemer  willed  that 
1-Iis  Church  should  be  endowed  for  defining  doctrine 
regarding  faith  or  morals  :  and  that  therefore  such  de- 
finitions of  the  Roman  Pontiff  are  irreformable  of  them- 
selves, and  not  from  the  consent  of  the  Church. 

But  if  any  one — which  may  God  avert — presume  to 
contradict  this  Our  definition;  let  him  be  anathema. 

Given  at  Rome  in  Public  Session  solemnly  held  in  the 
V'atican  Basilica  in  the  year  of  Our  Lord  one  thou- 
sand eight  hundred  and  seventy,  on  the  eighteenth 
day  of  July,  in  the  twenty-fifth  year  of  our  Pontifi- 
cate. 


/^ 


/'  ■ 


ATJCTTBTSnOP  MAKKI?s-GV^  AV'Ol^KS. 


i( 


ii 


n 


n 


II 


ii 


u 


n 


Sermons  on  Ecclesiastical  Subjects,  Vol.  I., 

**  II 

*'  III 

Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope, 

Essays  on  Various  Subjects  (Edited  by  Dr.  Manning),  Vol.  I. 

II 

XX., 

III., 

Answer  to  Gladstone,      .... 


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Lactures  on  the  Present  Position  of  Catholics  in  England, 

Sermons  on  Various  Occasions 

Difficulties  of  Anglicans, 

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The  Office  and  Work  of  Universities 

J  •  •  •  » 

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Address 


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Extract  from  Letter  of  Pope  Piu%  IX. 

Rome,  Deo.  30,  1888 

Rkv    T    T    Hepkkr  * 

We  heartily  conirratulate  yoa  upon  the  esteem  which  your  periodical,  *'  The 
Catholic  World,''  has,  through  its  erudition  and  perspicuity,  acmared  even  among 
those  who  differ  from  us,  etc.  '^AUb  lA.,  rope. 

Letter  from  the  Most  Rev.  Archbishop  of  New  York. 

New  York,  February  7,  1865. 

I  have  read  the  Prospectus  which  you  have  kindly  submitted  of  a  new  Catholic 
Magazine,  to  be  entitled  -The  Catholic  World,-  which  it  is  proposed  P^blisu  ng 
in  this  city  under  your  supervision  ;  and  I  am  happy  to  state  that  there  is  nothing 
in  its  whole  scope  and  spirit  which  has  not  my  hearty  approval  The  want  of  some 
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pj*  JOHN,  Archbishop  of  New  York. 

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EoME,  September  3,  1865. 

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